An Agonizing Secret
by multicoloredmango
Summary: Mikey tries to hide an injury from his brothers, but soon discovers that it wasn't as harmless as he thought it was...
1. The Hidden Injury

**I haven't tried out a first-person POV before, so I thought I would venture into that kind of writing style in this little story of mine. Chapters are gonna be kinda short, and they will mostly focus on the interactions between the brothers, so there won't be a whole lot of action…for now. Also, you'll be kept in the dark about the details until later on in the story, so being confused at first is okay. Hope you enjoy this, and reviews are very much appreciated. Thank you.**

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><p><em>Okay, I know I'm usually the one to go running to Donnie to patch my boo-boos up with the waterworks and everything, but this time…I couldn't. It was this weird feeling of guilt that held me back. I mean, I'm not one to brag or anything, but I'm usually an honest enough turtle to not feel guilty about stuff. I don't even know how Leo does it, feeling guilty all the time about this and that. I guess it could explain why he's all broody sometimes, but I think the dude should really—wait, getting off topic here. <em>Mikey shook his head and started to walk toward the lair again. _Funny, I wonder when I had stopped._

As Mikey cautiously entered the lair, he made sure that his brothers were nowhere in sight. _No bros there_, he noted, turning his head from the TV room…_and no bros in the kitchen, either. And—oh shell! Leo and Don at 11 o'clock! Looks like they're talking about something…so maybe I should use that to my advantage. _

He gripped his injured side, got ready—and made a mad dash to the bathroom! When he successfully got to his destination without getting caught, he shut the door behind him quietly and let out a breath he had been holding. He slid down with his shell up against the door and sat in silence for a few moments. But then he couldn't help it—he had to laugh, quietly of course. Mikey slapped a hand over his mouth, trying to muffle the sound.

_HaHA! I totally slipped past my bros with such ninja skills that even Master Splinter would be proud of. Who's the awesome ninja now? Me, of course. Well_…Mikey looked down at his side, which had started to make itself known with its painful throbbing. _Okay, maybe this has been a total bust, but I think that sneaking past my bros evened the score! And also being Battle Nexus Champion cancels out stuff like that. I mean, every hero has off days, right? It was yours truly who saved Silver Sentry that one time and—ow!_

Mikey jolted upright from his slumped position against the door. _That hurt_! He looked down to his side again and decided that he should at least wrap it up or something. It had stopped bleeding ages ago, but he couldn't just let it sit open. _If it's covered, at least Leo and Raph wouldn't question me about it. They know I get hurt all the time doing skateboard tricks. Okay, maybe they also think it's from being clumsy, but I would beg to differ; let's see them try not to fall in the Battle Shell when they drive. It's hard! Raph always takes turns waaaaay too fast and Leo just needs to get his eyes checked because those stop signs are there for a reason, you know! _

_Anyway, enough about that._ Mikey stood up slowly, feeling the aching throb in his side, and made his way over to the sink. He turned the water on and started to clean his wound, wincing at the stinging pain the soap and water gave him. _At least it doesn't look that bad underneath all the dried blood. In fact, I'm wondering why this is giving me so much pain in the first place. Looks more like a really bad bruise than anything else…_

He opened the cabinet above the sink and took out a roll of bandages. _Thank god Donnie's lab isn't the only place where we keep the bandages. Again, it's not Leo and Raph I'm worried about, it's Donnie—even with my side bandaged, he'd probably be worried, and I don't want that. He's such a worrywart, and the last thing I want him to do is ask me questions. I mean, I am a super awesome prankster and the best when it comes to getting out of trouble, but—lying? Straight to my brother's face? I can't do that. Well, I guess it wouldn't matter either way…I'm totally bad at telling lies, and my bros know that._

Mikey gave an exhausted sigh. _Donnie would have a cow if he knew. And I'd totally be laughing right now at how funny that phrase sounds (I mean who wants a cow anyway?) if it wasn't for the unsettling feeling the pit of my stomach. What was I doing, hiding my injury from my brothers? _

When Mikey finished bandaging his side, he looked at himself in the mirror with a pout and crossed his arms._ Ouch_! Mikey barely suppressed a yelp, and let out a strained squeak instead. _I can't even cross my arms now, and my side is starting to hurt like shell! I am so gonna be feeling this in the morning._

He stared in the mirror again, and examined his bandaged side with a wide grin. _Well, people should call me Doctor Michelangelo from now on, 'cause I think that I did an awesome job on this thing! Hopefully, Don will think so too and leave it ALONE._ Mikey gave himself one last look and exited the bathroom casually, just in case Leo and Don were still out there.

And they were. _Great. Okay Mikester, just play it cool…and maybe they won't notice._ As he passed his two older brothers, he gave them his trademark goofy grin and continued toward his room.

"Hey Mikey?" Don said from behind just as Mikey had made it to the stairs.

Mikey stiffened. He twisted around slowly, his nervousness masked by the innocent grin still plastered on his face. He tried to keep his bandaged side away from his brothers' line of sight. _Oh, please let Don not see—_

"Where have you been all this time? I was looking for you an hour ago…" Don paused, nonplussed. "Is that—did you get hurt?" He pointed to Mikey's side.

Mikey's eyes darted to the bandage that he had hoped was hidden from view. _Apparently not. _He watched silently as Don and Leo walked over to him. _Shell, what do I do? I don't wanna tell the truth, but I can't lie either, I mean it's not that bad, but still—_

Mikey's panicked train of thought was broken when he realized Donnie had just said something to him. "Uh, what'd you say?" he said, a bit embarrassed.

Don sighed and exchanged a worried glance with Leo. "I asked if you were okay."

"Y-yeah," Mikey replied guiltily. He gave a wide grin, hoping to ward off his brothers' concern. "Never better."

"Good," Leo said, giving a serious stare to Mikey. "Then you can explain that." He gestured to the youngest's bandaged side.

_Well, it's do or die. _"Well, I was taking a run in the sewers and I fell." _Well, it was the truth…just not all of it._ "It's just a scratch, so no need to be worried, bros." Mikey lowered his eyes and rubbed his head sheepishly. _Well, so much for convincing my brothers that I'm not the clumsy one. At least I'm still the pretty one! _

Don looked relieved. "Well, I'm happy you took care of yourself. You washed it, right?"

Mikey nodded in response with a slight grin. _Yes, yes, yes! No more interrogation today. I am awesome. _

Leo on the other hand was not as proud of his youngest brother as Don was. "Gee, Mikey—maybe you should get in some extra training then," he said with an annoyed frown.

"Right, I'll get back to you on that one," Mikey chuckled as he turned around and made his way up the stairs.

"I'm serious!" Leo called after his brother, putting his hands on his hips.

"So am I, dude," Mikey yelled down as he shut his door.


	2. The Unexpected Impact

**Well whaddya know…another chapter! Okay, so maybe this was already written and I just wanted to see if people liked the first installment. And its seems you guys did, so I am very happy! To end, I must reiterate the predictable phrase: Tell Me What You Think! (And I'll be even happier.)**

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><p><em>Whew, glad that's over…Now for some quality time with my Justice League comics<em>! Mikey picked up a comic book from one of the piles that had been strewn across the room and then plopped down on his bed, only to practically fall off at the pain the action had caused.

_Ow, ow, OW! Jeez louise did that hurt! This sure is getting annoying…_ With a pained groan, Mikey gingerly lifted himself off the floor and laid down on his bed carefully this time. _Maybe…I should go to Donnie. _Mikey shook his head at the thought. _No, no. I already told him I took care of it. I'll be fine. _

After an hour or so, Mikey looked up from his comic reading to yawn and looked at the clock. _6 o'clock, huh? I guess it's time for some dinner! _

Mikey got up and was about to stretch when he thought better of it. He opened his door and headed to the kitchen. _Hmm, I'm still kinda sore…think I'll make something easy tonight. I know! I'll make some pizza! I wonder what toppings I should put on…maybe something extra special for Raph. I'm sure I stashed that habanero sauce somewhere—_

"Makin' some dinner?" came a gruff voice from behind Mikey, interrupting his thoughts.

Mikey turned slowly, remembering his side, and brightly smiled at Raph. "Yeah, it's pizza tonight!" he said enthusiastically.

"Sounds good," Raph said, making his way over to the couch. He grabbed the remote, turned on the TV, and glanced over his shoulder to face Mikey again. "Jus' no funny business with the toppings this time, got it?" After giving Mikey a threatening glare, Raph turned back around to the lighted TV screen.

_Whoops, I guess it's just regular cheese tonight, now that Raph's watching. Oh well. Now let's see…_ Mikey began to make the pizzas from scratch, just as he had always done. Finally, his cheesy creations had been stowed away in the oven for baking.

Mikey leaned against the counter, wiping his forehead with a rag. _That should do it. Now, all I have to do is wait…which is suuuuuper boring. Time to bug the shell out of Raph! And when I mean bug…_

Mikey walked over to the couch were Raph was flipping channels. He sat down next to his brother. "So, anything interesting on?" he asked innocently. _Hehe, he is so gonna get it._

Raph continued to look at the big screen dully and answered, "Nah, jus' same old, same old."

Mikey cocked his head. "That's funny, wasn't there some big wresting match showing today? I thought I saw it in the TV guide…"

Instantly Raph whipped his head to Mikey, interested. "Really? Where, which channel?"

"Here, let me see," Mikey said as he reached for the remote. Raph handed it over and Mikey immediately changed to a certain channel. _Let's see how much Raphie-boy likes watching the—_

Raph gave a shout and stood up abruptly. He looked around franticly for a second then fumbled for the remote that lay beside Mikey. He shut the TV off as fast as he could, panting from the sudden exertion. "Mikey…" he growled, turning his head to his younger brother slowly.

Mikey's lips curved into an all-knowing devious smile. _Ha ha, he should have seen the look on his face! So priceless._ "Oops, I guess I got the time wrong," he said in a teasing voice.

"Right when that…disgustin' bug show was on? I don' think so!" Raph said, scowling furiously. He smacked Mikey on the back of the head.

"Ouch!" Mikey wailed. _Meanie Raph…he sure doesn't know how to take a joke. _He stuck his tongue out at Raph childishly.

At Mikey's taunt, Raph grew angrier and said, "That's it, chucklehead!" He aggressively dived for his brother and the two turtles fell off the couch, rolling on the ground.

Suddenly, a bright white flash exploded behind Mikey's eyes as his bandaged side was struck. A high-pitched yelp escaped him as the burning pain shot through his body, taking over his senses for a moment. _This hurts so bad…I can't…can't think straight…_ Mikey felt Raph lift himself off of him, but made no movement to get up as well. He heard Raph start to speak above him.

"That's what ya get, Mikey, an' next time I ain't gonna be so—" Raph cut off as soon as he noticed the grimace of pain Mikey face was twisted into. "Mikey?" Suddenly Raph's eyes caught the bandage on the side that Mikey's hand was holding tightly. "Mikey! How'd ya—when did—what the _shell_?" Raph was at a complete loss for words. He leaned down hastily to examine his brother, but stopped as soon as Mikey made a move to sit up.

Mikey smoothed his face and said quickly, "I-I'm okay." _At least I think so…_

"Ya sure?" Raph said, giving Mikey a hard stare.

_Uh oh. He doesn't sound convinced. _"Totally, bro. No worries."

"Well it looked like ya were dying or somethin', ya drama queen." Raph took Mikey's hand and hauled him up gently.

_Ack, it's still hurting…but at least Raph hasn't noticed anything._ "That's drama _king_ to you, dude." Mikey managed to give a small smile.

Raph snickered for a second but then became totally serious. "So, whad'ya do ta get that?" he pointed to Mikey's bandage.

_Not again! Man, what is with my brothers? They are way too curious for their own good today. And how am I gonna get out of it this time—_

Suddenly, the oven alarm went off and Mikey swiveled his head to the direction of the kitchen in surprise. "Oh! The pizzas are ready, better take them out!" Mikey left Raph at the couch and hustled over to the oven as carefully as he could, with a hand still placed on his injury.

As soon as he was out of view from Raph, Mikey clutched his side tighter in agony, holding in a groan. _Why…is this still throbbing like crazy? What's happening to me? _Finally, as the pain ebbed away, he let out a few calming breaths and proceeded to prepare the cooked pizzas.

Mikey let his mind wander off again. _That was really close with Raph! But what am I gonna do now? I dunno how long this is gonna last. I thought I'd get over this in a day or so, but…how am I gonna hide this if the pain is so bad? No, I can't give up…a thing like this…I'll be okay. It's just a scratch; I'm not that weak. Why, you ask? 'Cause I'm the baddest turtle in the multiverse, Battle Nexus Champion!_ Mikey couldn't help but smirk to himself.

Once the pizzas were out of the oven and a mouth-watering aroma hung in the air, Mikey was able to fully relax. _You know, all this broody thinking is sure making me hungry. And nothing says 'cheer up' like a good 'ol slice of homemade pizza! _

Mikey inhaled deeply and then shouted: "Time for dinner, guys!"


	3. The Dissapearing Act

**Oh, sugar cookies. It's been way too long, hasn't it? Sorry about that…But I hope you enjoy this chapter. And don't worry, the next update will definitely not be a long wait now that I'm back. As always, I welcome any feedback. Thank you! :)**

The three older turtles hurried in and quickly gathered around the kitchen table, brought in by the tantalizing smell of cheese pizza. Mikey smiled at the look of their hungry faces. _Can't resist a slice or two of Mikey's homemade pizza, now can you? _He took two pizza slices then slowly, carefully seated himself on a kitchen chair, now aware that he had to start being cautious with what he did as his side was still healing.

_I'm not even sure what it's healing from at this point,_ Mikey thought miserably. _And I know it can't just be a bruise. But I won't tell anyone if I can help it, not yet. _Mikey looked up from his pizza to find Don, Leo, and Raph staring at him. _Uh oh…_

"Mikey, you were making a weird face," Don said. "Is something wrong?"

Raph chuckled, turning Don's attention away from Mikey. "Nah that was prob'ly Mike's thinkin' face, right?" He slapped Mikey's shoulder playfully. "Jus' don't think too hard, bro. We can't have ya bustin' what few brain cells ya have left." He started to laugh and Leo and Don giggled along.

"Hey…" Mikey whined, a bit offended.

Leo quieted down and asked, "So what were you thinking about?"

_Shell, gotta think fast, gotta think—what I was supposed to be thinking about? _"Uh, I…" Mikey faltered, looking across the table for a sign. _Bingo!_ "…I was thinking that this pizza needs a little something—like some pepper!"

Raph laughed even harder as Don said sarcastically, "Wow, what clever insight."

Leo handed over the pepper shaker with an amused grin. "Thanks," Mikey said and half-heartedly shook pepper onto his pizza. But before he could put it back up the table, Raph decided to reach over and swat his hand at the shaker, making Mikey accidentally shake pepper into his face. Mikey yelped and Raph went back to laughing.

"Revenge!" Mikey yelled as he shook some pepper into Raph's face. Some of it got onto Don, who in protest took up the salt shaker and sprayed both Raph and Leo with its contents. Soon, a wave of salt and pepper filled the air above the table. The four turtles fought with the condiments they had, shouting and laughing at each other. That is, until someone sneezed.

"A-ACHOO!" Mikey bellowed. Surprised at the loud disturbance, Leo, Raph, and Don stopped their fight, hands frozen in midair.

"None 'a that betta' not have gotten on _my_ slice, Mikey," Raph warned, eyeing his pizza with a grimace. Don and Leo immediately looked down to their own pizza slices to confirm the same. By the time the three turtles looked up, Mikey was gone.

"What the…?" Don said in a bewildered tone. He swiveled his head around the room as Leo did the same. "Where'd Mikey go?"

"Up ta his room, prob'ly." Raph pitched, clearly unsurprised. "He's always forgettin' ta feed that cat."

"He could have waited until dinner finished," Leo muttered, a bit irritated that the youngest was able to slip past him so easily.

Don chuckled at Leo's obvious frustration. "Well I guess that means he doesn't need that extra training you suggested earlier."

"Maybe," replied Leo, a smile starting to show on his face. "But don't let it go to his head."

"Extra trainin'?" Raph repeated, curious. "What's that about?"

Don turned to Raph. "Did you notice that bandage on Mikey's side?"

Raph nodded sheepishly. "Yeah. In fact…I think I kinda bumped it or somethin'. He looked like he was in pain fer a second."

"Wait, what?" Don exclaimed. "When did—"

"—Doesn't matta', he's fine," Raph cut his brother off gruffly. "Whazzit have ta do with trainin'?"

Don closed his hung-open mouth and sighed. "He said he got it from falling down in the sewers or something. Sounds a bit clumsy, right?"

"Huh," Raph answered, having understood what Leo was thinking. The table became quiet as the turtles continued to eat their pizza.

"Mikey said it was just a scratch though," Don piped up, continuing the conversation.

"Nothing that will keep him from morning practice, I'm sure," Leo added.

The three brothers looked to Mikey's untouched pizza slices, silently reassuring themselves.

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><p>Up in his room, Mikey wondered if he would ever be able to go back downstairs that night. <em>Everything's fine for a while and then WHAM! Somehow my own body is trying to kill me or something. All I did was sneeze and then that searing pain comes back, more excruciating than ever. <em>Mikey struggled to catch his breath as he forced himself to relax. He was kneeled over beside his bed with tightly closed eyes, waiting for the pain to pass. _I am so glad I could disappear before my brothers saw me. I would sooooo be in trouble by now. Ninja skills to the rescue! Take that, Leo. I just bested the best of the best. _Mikey would've smiled if he wasn't clenching his teeth so hard.

Finally, only a dull pain remained and Mikey straightened up, exhaling slowly. _Ouch…man this bites. At least it's bearable now, but now I'm sorta feeling…tight. Like someone's giving me a hug, just the not-so-friendly kind. I'm pretty sure Raph has given me a couple of those. _Mikey peered at his bandaged side with a worried frown. _But I won't let anyone worry about this but me. _

Mikey shuffled across his messy room and went back to the kitchen. He wore a bright smile as he faced his brothers but still felt miserable inside. _Somehow I don't feel that hungry anymore…_

"Did'ja feed yer cat or somethin'?" Raph said as he saw Mikey enter the kitchen.

"Huh?" Mikey took a second to process what his brother had said to him. "Oh, um, yeah. I went to feed Klunk." _Note to self: feed Klunk after dinner._

"I must say, Mikey, that was a nice disappearing act you pulled there," Don said.

Mikey flashed a smug grin, unable to resist saying, "Of course, I'm the Battle Nexus Champion after all!"

Raph groaned as Leo shook his head. "Well, maybe you can put it to good use in morning practice tomorrow," Leo said.

Mikey's smile dropped. _Shell! I totally forgot about that…what am I gonna do? Ninja practice is brutal, and the worst part is I'm gonna be with my bros the entire time. What if they notice something's off? Or worse…what if I sneeze? Wow, I sure didn't see this coming. I'm afraid of my own sneezes. _

Mikey shoved half a pizza slice in his mouth as an excuse to not answer Leo. _Keeping secrets is so overrated. _


	4. The Late Night Talk

**Yes, it is another chapter! I do hope you like it. Read, review, and enjoy! :)**

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><p>The rest of the night was uneventful, to say the least—but that didn't mean it was a normal one. Mikey knew it was far from it, mostly due to the fact that he was the one to blame. A usual night played out with some laid-back TV time, which was always interrupted by brotherly banter. Mikey and Raph were the loudest ones of course, always arguing over which girl was the prettiest, or who was the murderer, or their favorite topic: which celebrity would win in an all-out ninja battle.<p>

But that night, Mikey stayed oddly silent. This perplexed Don, but Raph and Leo dismissed it, thinking he was more tired than usual that night. Unable to take the silence any longer, Don sighed exasperatedly and looked to Mikey, who sat beside him on the couch. "Why so quiet tonight?" he asked.

Without turning his head form the TV, Mikey shrugged, suppressing the urge to wince when he felt the familiar jab of pain in his side. _Please, please, please take that as an answer. _

"Tell me," Don said hopefully. When Mikey still didn't reply, he persisted: "Are you—"

"—S'nothin'," Mikey interrupted. "Just a little tired today, dude." _Yeah right, who am I kidding? I'd give anything to be tired if it meant that I wouldn't be in pain. _

"Well make sure you get plenty of rest tonight, then," Don responded, a little more at ease. "I don't want to be the one waking you up in the morning, trying to yell over your 'five more minutes' speech." Mikey chuckled lightly with Don and both turned back to the lighted screen. _I guess that means he bought it. I am on a roll tonight! Mikey scores…a gazillion; Bros—still zero. _

Finally, the four brothers decided it was time to go to bed. After saying goodnight to each other and then to their Sensei, they split off to their own rooms.

Mikey couldn't wait to get to sleep. As soon as his head softly his pillow, he relaxed fully, thankful that he didn't have to hide anything until the morning came. He shifted to get comfortable, trying to ignore the dull pain still emanating from his side. He shifted again, choosing to lie on the side opposite of the bandage. After a minute, he changed his position a third time. Still uncomfortable, Mikey shifted once more. _Now I'm getting super annoyed. This pain is so distracting. I want to sleep so badly… _

After a few more minutes of trying, Mikey sighed, giving up. Slowly, he sat up and swung his legs over the side of his bed. _This is making me, like, totally depressed and stuff. My chest still feels tight and the pain isn't going away; I can't sleep, I can't move, and…there's still morning practice—shell! I almost forgot again. Dude, I have got to think of something to get out of it. But I can't think with my side aching like this…Wait, I know! I definitely saw some Advil in the bathroom cabinet today, and it can stop the pain right? I mean if it can relieve headaches and colds and stuff, it's got to be somewhat helpful! _

Mikey lifted himself off the bed, opened his door, and peeked his head out. _No one's awake of course, so it'll be smooth sailing to the bathroom._ Mikey tiptoed to the bathroom and found the Advil bottle. _Aha! Right where I knew it was. Nice._

With two small pills in one hand and the Adivl bottle in the other, he crept back to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water. Quickly, he downed the medicine in one swallow and was about to head back up to his room—when he heard a faint sound behind him. _What was that? _Started, he jumped back and raised his arms to protect himself.

"My son," came a voice from the shadows. "It is only me."

"M-master Splinter?" Mikey stuttered. He let his hands return to his sides as he watched Splinter walk forward into the meager kitchen light. "Almost jumped outta my shell, Sensei." _Jeez, Sensei sure knows how to out ninja-someone. _"What're you doing up?"

Splinter's whiskers twitched thoughtfully. "I was going to ask you the same, Michelangelo."

Mikey looked down to the glass on the kitchen counter. "Oh…I was just um, thirsty." He gave a wide, innocent smile.

Splinter lowered his eyes for a moment, his face making a small frown. "Hmm, and what do you have in your hand?" he asked.

Mikey made a swift glance to the Advil bottle was holding and immediately hid it behind his back. "Nothing! It's nothing," he answered nervously. _Maybe it was too dark for him to see it. Maybe he won't—_

"Are you in pain, my son?" Splinter said softly.

Mikey hung his head in defeat but gave nothing away. _Shell, shell, SHELL. He knows. No, no. I can't tell him anything. I can't. _

Splinter pressed on with a stern tone. "It has to do with that bandage, does it not?"

Mikey looked up in surprise, but didn't answer. _I am so in trouble; Sensei is definitely mad at me. But what can I say? If I denied it, I'd be lying. _He cast his eyes down again, too ashamed to see the worried look Splinter had on his face.

Sighing, Splinter placed a gentle hand on Mikey's arm. "I do not know why you choose to keep your pain a secret, but if you are not yet ready to tell someone, then I will not force you."

_He's not…mad? I thought for sure I'd be done for! I can't believe he's letting me go. I feel so guilty… I don't know how long I'm gonna be able to take this. _Mikey raised his head and was about to say something, but closed his mouth. _I want to say so much. I want this all to end. _Mikey tried to speak again. "Sorry," he whispered. "I just…" Mikey paused, tying to come up with something better to say, "…sorry." _Well that sounded great._

Splinter stepped back. "It is alright." A strange glint in his eye suddenly made Mikey uneasy. "But perhaps you might be able to explain the extent of your pain during morning practice. Physically."

Mikey gulped, backing away in the direction of his room. "Yeah, um, g-goodnight , Master Splinter."

"Sweet dreams, Michelangelo."

Mikey made it back to his room and laid down once more on his bed, feeling both relieved and worried at the same time. _Man, Sensei and his premonitions are killer. I bet he could write up some good fortune cookies with—wait, wait, getting distracted again. Focus, I've got to focus. Okay. I need to come up with a totally believable excuse to get me out of practice. Maybe…I'll say I slept in a bad position. Nah, that won't even get Don to budge. Or how about I have foot fungus! No, no, I'd never live that down. _

Mikey yawned drowsily. _Or maybe…I could…tell them…I can't…do…_Unaware of his eyes closing, Mikey fell into a deep slumber.

When morning came, Mikey couldn't help but groan not only in annoyance at the return of the dull ache in his side, but also at the realization that he _still_ didn't have an excuse for skipping morning practice. _I am so screwed._ Mikey stumbled out of his bed angrily, muttering to himself. _Figures. I screwed up then…and I screw up now. Perfect way to start my day._

Suddenly, Mikey heard a faint _meow_ from next to him. Mikey looked down and gave a sad smile. "Hey Klunkers. Hey buddy." He picked up his cat carefully, wincing at the stab of pain he received at the motion. He petted his cat lovingly for a few minutes, enjoying the peaceful silence. Mikey felt his bandage, replaying what had happened yesterday in his mind. He looked back to Klunk. "You know, I…I'm glad that you're here, Klunk," Mikey said. "If I hadn't saved you…" Mikey cut off, not able to go on. _You'd probably end up like the cat I met yesterday._

Mikey placed Klunk back onto floor and watched the cat scamper happily away. _This is my burden. I alone will bear this pain, and not even Master Splinter can know. _The turtle stood up abruptly and started to make his way to the dojo. _I can only hope that my Turtle Luck won't get in the way today. Time for the dreaded morning practice. _


	5. The Exhausting Match

**And another chapter hits the floor running, finally. Thank you for waiting, and I hope you all like the chapter. Please review!**

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><p>Mikey entered the dojo just as Splinter seated himself down on the thick floor matt. <em>I don't think Sensei plans to discuss anything here, but I can't help feeling anxious. Gah, I've got to stop worrying—it's giving me a tummy ache! <em>

Mikey and his brothers quietly sat themselves around Splinter and began the first part of morning training: meditation. _I never knew I'd be so grateful for meditation. And here I thought it was the most boring thing in the world, but now I can understand its importance. It's the easiest way to stall for time!_

And for those several minutes in silence, Mikey was able to almost fully relax. Breathing deeply in and out, he tried to reassure himself. _I can do this. I can do this. Just gotta keep my cool, and concentrate on doing as minimal movement as possible. Focusing has never been my strong point…but I have to pull through somehow!_

When Splinter signaled that meditation was over, the four turtles stood, ready for practice to begin. "My sons, it is time to start our ninjustu training," Splinter announced. Leo was already making his way to the far side of the dojo, where the turtles did katas every morning before sparring. "Wait, Leonardo," Splinter called. Confused, Leo stopped and Don, Raph, and Mikey also turned to their Sensei.

"Are we not doing katas, Master Splinter?" Leo asked politely.

"That is correct," Splinter answered. "Today, you will train through sparring matches only." At the look of Raph's brightening face, Splinter added, "Without weapons." Raph huffed and crossed his arms.

"What's the occasion?" Don inquired.

"There is none," Splinter said, turning his face to smile at Mikey. "I thought it would be good to have a change in pace."

But Mikey didn't buy that. _Shell, I bet I'm the 'occasion'! Dude, I had no idea that Master Splinter would pull a fast one on me. If he's trying to make me crack under pressure, he's got another thing coming..._

"For now, Raphael will spar with Donatello, and Leonardo with Michelangelo," Splinter said.

The turtles split up and went to their respective sides of the room to start their training. Mikey was nervous, but smiled anyway as he bowed to his older brother and got into a defensive position. _Okay so no twisting, no stretching, and absolutely no sneezing! _

The match started as Leo moved forward with a basic straight, just to get himself and Mikey moving. Mikey easily dodged by sidestepping it, followed through with a high kick—and suddenly realized his mistake. A terrible stinging pain flared in his side and Mikey instantly decided to turn his attack into a feint. He cut off the kick with a wince, and swung around to trip Leo with a sweeping move. Leo jumped on instinct and evaded his brother. Mikey saw an opportunity for Leo to strike him and braced himself in a protective pose, but instead Leo jumped back. Mikey backed off as well, and the two brothers started to circle each other, waiting for the next attack.

Out of the action for a couple moments, Mikey put more effort into hiding his discomfort. _This is harder than I thought it would be. I can tell Leo saw something was up. He knows I don't do feints or calculated stuff like that—it's totally not my style!_ _I've gotta be more careful and bear with this. _Mikey tried to ignore the spikes of pain each pounding heartbeat sent and narrowed his eyes in concentration. _My attention should only be on avoiding_ _Leo and getting a few hits in for good measure. Gotta focus, gotta focus…_

Without warning, the youngest made his move. Mikey put all his energy in his right foot and propelled himself at Leo. As Mikey had predicted, Leo reacted with a quick sidestep and then went on the offensive. Leo's uppercut was directed at Mikey's plastron, but the turtle moved at the last moment and got away with a weak cuff on the chin. _Eeep! That was close!_

Content with the first hit, Leo started to put more energy into his punches and strikes, just as Mikey wanted. Pushing the pain into the back of his mind, Mikey fell into the rhythm of the fight. He ducked and dodged, immediately avoided anything that came near his bandaged side, landed some half-hearted swings, and managed a couple of back flips.

But Mikey was getting tired, fast. _The pain is getting worse, and it's harder to pay attention to the fight. I'm running out of time!_ Mikey evaded another roundhouse kick, but this time Leo was able to connect with Mikey's shoulder, and Mikey was thrown to the ground.

"What are you doing, Mikey?" Leo said heatedly, panting a bit to regain his breath. "It's like you're not fighting at all today."

Mikey stood up slowly, taking in deep breaths to keep from literally fainting. _Ngh…my side feels like its burning…or like someone is poking me with a bunch of pins or something. Just need to hang on for a little more. _With all of his might, Mikey resisted holding his side or making a pained expression. He shook his head, both to clear his headache and to answer Leo's question. "Nah, bro," Mikey replied with a crooked smile. "I'm giving it the best I got." _And that's the truth._ Out of the corner of his eye, Mikey caught Splinter looking directly at him. _He's watching me, but I won't back down yet!_

Leo wore a disagreeing frown but remained silent. He brought his hands up in front of him to indicate the start of a new round. Breathing heavily, Mikey initiated the spar once more. This time, Mikey was barely able to keep up with Leo's movements and only concerned himself with defending his side. It was only several minutes in when Mikey's face was starting to show discomfort. His eyes were squinted, his mouth was clenched, and sweat was rolling down the sides of his face. Mikey knew he only had one option left. _I have to lose on purpose. I can't even believe I'm still able to stand, and I'll use that to my advantage. Now is my domain. Focusing is way too much work. But playing dead? Easy peasy._

Just as Leo aimed a powerful kick to his brother's legs, Mikey jumped up, but didn't tuck his feet under on purpose. Leo only managed to catch the youngest's ankle, but Mikey used the momentum to flip around and land flat on his shell on the dojo floor.

"Ouch!" Mikey yelled, this time voicing the pain he really felt. _Can't pass out…gotta block the pain._

"You okay, Mike?" Leo asked worriedly.

Mikey nodded, allowing his face to scrunch up in the grimace he had tried to cover up for the entire match. "A little help here?" he mumbled.

"Sure," Leo responded, latching onto Mikey's waiting hand. He gently pulled Mikey up and checked his brother over. Though Leo thought it would be the bandaged side that Mikey had hurt, the youngest was rubbing his head instead.

"Have you hit your head, Michelangelo?" Splinter's voice cut through the room, and Leo and Mikey looked up in surprise. The dojo went silent as Don and Raph had stopped to see what was going on.

"Uh, yeah. I think so." Mikey said. _Please, please buy this. I need to make this aching go away, it's killing me. I just want to lie down and sleep for like twenty hours or something. Wake me for breakfast tomorrow. _

To Mikey's relief, Splinter nodded and motioned for Don and Raph to come over as well. "Morning practice is over, my sons. You may go now." Splinter and the four turtles bowed to each other, and then Splinter retreated back to his room.

Finally able to relax, Mikey couldn't help but smile to himself. _I…I made it! I totally got through training, and nobody suspects a thing! Okay, Master Splinter does, but he doesn't count because he knows everything anyway. No helping that. Now I just have to get to my room and— _

"What're ya smilin' for, chucklehead?" Raph said, interrupting Mikey's thoughts.

Still a bit out of breath, Mikey took a few seconds to answer. "I don't know," he said, smiling even wider. _I may be exhausted, but I still know how to annoy the shell out of Raph._

Raph smacked his forehead. "You're such a dope, ya know that?"

Mikey just shrugged innocently, his tired smile never fading.


	6. The Kitchen Fiasco

**I am happy to introduce yet another chapter to you all. Hope you enjoy, and don't forget to tell me what you think! Thank you.**

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><p>Prepared to sleep until dinner, Mikey trudged up to his room. He was worn-out and extremely sore, but as he sat on his messy bed, he resisted to lie all the way down. <em>Augh…that hurts so much. I can't even get the rest I need with this tightness. <em>Mikey held his side in silence for a moment, just concentrating on blocking out the pain. _Man, and I though having broken legs was fun. But this sure takes the cake. Mmm, cake…_

Distracted with the thought of his favorite sugary dessert, Mikey sank into his bed and closed his eyes, too tired to give anymore thought to the throbbing in his side. And just like that, he was out.

It was a couple hours later when Mikey slowly became aware of an echo of voices. He opened his eyes drowsily, yawned, then turned over in his bed.

"Yeowch!" Mikey cried as he sat bolt upright with a start. Now fully awake, Mikey put a hand on his bandage, recalling everything that had happened. _Ow, ow , ow! I totally forgot about my side again! Dude, this hurts like shell all over again…_

Mikey averted his attention as he turned to his door, recognizing his brothers' voices that resonated from what sounded like downstairs. _What's going on down there? It sounds like a party, it's so loud! And what's that weird clanking sound? _Mikey sighed and looked around his room absent-mindedly, trying to relax a bit more. _I would totally see what was happening if I wasn't so tired from this morning. Well, it's not like we're under attack or—_

Suddenly, the entire lair shook from a loud 'BOOM' that cut Mikey off from his thoughts. Mikey's eyes widened with worry. _Uh oh, maybe we are being attacked! Never fear, bros, Turtle Titan is on his way!_

Mikey rushed out of his room and ran downstairs as fast as he could to find his brothers covered in…well he wasn't really sure at this point.

"It looks like a freakin' hurricane came through the lair!" Mikey yelled, looking around franticly. He started to cough from all the dust and smoke that hung in the air. Instantly, an excruciating burn in his side acted up, and Mikey fought to catch his breath.

"Hey, hey, take it easy bro," Raph said, coming forward to lay a mostly clean hand on the youngest's shell.

Mikey cringed from the pain, but covered it up by placing a hand over his mouth. _I'm glad that I've gotten used to this pain. Although I guess it's not something to be happy about. _Mikey straightened up a bit. "It smells like something's burning…"

And that's when Leo, Don, and Raph all started to talk at the same time.

"What happened was...well it's not like it was my idea, I was forced by Don and Raph, although I still explained that it was dangerous, but they didn't listen like always and I assumed they knew how…"

"Leo was the one who messed up, not me! I swear, you should'a seen what he tried ta put in and I thought that we could jus' make it way easier by pumpin' up the heat, I mean doesn't that make everythin' go faster? And Don wasn' helpin' either…"

"Well I thought I was doing everything correctly because I've watched you do it so simply, and it really shouldn't have reacted like that, but Raph said that a hotter temperature would make it cook faster, and logically it makes sense, and Leo was only adding a couple more ingredients for nutrition and…"

"OKAY!" Mikey shouted, stopping his brothers from overloading his head. "What _exactly_ happened?" he drawled out, putting on a face as serious as he could make.

The three older brothers glanced at each other for a moment then turned to Mikey. In unison, they said: "We tried to make eggs."

For a moment, Mikey stood there dumbfounded. And then he laughed. It only took a second longer for his brothers to join him, and soon they all were on the floor, holding their sides to keep from splitting with laughter.

Well, for Mikey of course, that was quite literal; but he didn't care. _Now this is why I have the best brothers. Sure my side hurts like another hurricane swept through the lair, but who cares? My bros don't need to worry about stuff like this, not when they'd be so lost without me!_

Finally calming down, Mikey decided to take a look around. Sure enough, the kitchen was a disaster: the questionable goo that Don swore was the eggs mixture had splattered in every possible place in the kitchen, and it even made it a little further into the next room; the stove was a mess; the microwave somehow had burn marks all over it; even the oven door was left completely unhinged.

Mikey sighed. _My beautiful kitchen…_

"We're really sorry, Mikey," Leo said.

Mikey shook his head. "Dude. It's totally fine." He stopped for a moment, allowing a smile to creep onto his face. "And I'm not the one who has to clean this all up." Mikey could hear Raph's annoyed groan in the background. _Ha! For once, it's not me who's in trouble. I should oversleep more often…but I don't think the kitchen could take much more abuse._

Don grinned back at Mikey. "Yeah, yeah, we'll clean up everything." He looked to the kitchen. "I guess we should've asked you to make lunch for us. But since you hadn't come down from your room to make lunch like you usually do…I thought we could pull it off."

Raph chuckled. "Guess we were wrong."

"I still don't get how you can cook so easily," Leo said, almost sounding a little jealous.

Mikey shrugged. "Tell you what. You clean, and I cook." Mikey flashed a cocky smile. "How does scrambled eggs sound?"

"Perfect," came the answer from the three older turtles.

After the kitchen was more or less clean and lunch had been eaten, Mikey and his brothers went their separate ways for the day. Don disappeared into his lab to tinker with the now broken microwave, Leo went to the dojo to work on his swordsmanship, Raph went to the garage to tune up his shell cycle, and Mikey decided to play some video games.

Sliding into the soft couch cushions, Mikey couldn't help but give a frustrated sigh. _All this excitement has really tired me out, even though I almost slept through lunch. It's getting harder to ignore the tightness in my side, too. I hate to admit it, but playing video games can only distract me from some of the pain. _Mikey picked up the controller and went through the levels half-heartedly, not even bothering to pick up bonus points along the way.

A couple hours later, Mikey was ready to call it quits. Ever since the kitchen fiasco, he could feel something irritating in his side, but now it was becoming more pronounced, and his attention wasn't on the TV any longer. _I don't even know how to describe this…it's like a weird prickling sensation, but not on the surface…more like under the skin. I feel it there every time I move, every time I breathe—and it's getting worse. But I'll get better if I sleep it off, so I not gonna worry about it….Nope. Not even a single thought. Zero. Nada. Zilch. _

Mikey lifted himself off of the couch, but something stopped him from walking to his room. _Strange, it…it's like that tickling feeling moved up to my throat. _He put a hand to his throat, puzzled.

For a moment, he stood in silence—then all hell broke lose. As soon as Mikey opened his mouth to clear his throat, he started to cough. Mikey hung onto the couch for dear life as he clutched his chest, the pain too much for him to handle. The coughing spasms racked his body, sending agonizing waves of pain. Mikey struggled to get air into his lungs. _I'm scared. I can't stop. It hurts. I'm so scared. It hurts so bad…_

Suddenly, Mikey felt himself being lifted up from his hunched position. Through the pain and the coughing, he could faintly hear his name called by someone.

"Mikey! Mikey!"

"Michelangelo!"

Mikey looked up to see the worried faces of Don and Leo, and tried to calm himself down. He could feel Leo roughly patting his shell as Don talked into his ear. "Try to take smaller breaths, don't breathe so deeply. Mikey. Mikey. Relax your body."

Finally, the coughing attack subsided and Mikey let his two brothers lead him back to the couch to sit. Mikey put his head back, unable to summon much strength at the moment. _Man, my throat feels raw, and my side is still killing me. I feel like I ran a marathon—then got run over by a truck at the finish line. This has not been a good day for me. _

"Mikey, what on earth happened?"

_And it's only gonna get worse._


	7. The Mandatory Checkup

**Yay, I wrote another one in record time. Which really isn't all that soon…oh well. Hope you find it okay. And please review!**

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><p>Don shook the youngest's arm gently to get his attention. "Mikey? Answer me."<p>

"I…I was coughing." Mikey said, shifting a bit on the couch.

"Yeah. We heard that and came running," said Leo, trying to keep his uneasiness and worry off his stoic face. "Could you elaborate?"

"Um…no?" Mikey replied, giving his best puppy dog face. _How am I gonna get past this? Even I don't know why I started coughing so much. But I have this sinking feeling that it has to do with my injury. _

At Leo's disapproving stare, Mikey could tell he had to answer with something. "Well, I _was_ coughing earlier…from the dust this morning. From the kitchen thing, you know? Maybe I breathed in too much stuff." _This actually makes sense. Maybe that is what happened; maybe I'm just paranoid about my side. _

Don and Leo looked doubtful, but couldn't think of anything else that could've explained the sudden attack. "Are you sure?" Don asked fretfully. "I just—I don't like this. People don't cough like that just because they breathed in too much smoke, not after a few hours."

"But I'm a turtle," Mikey deadpanned.

Don rolled his eyes in exasperation. "You know what I mean, Mikey."

Mikey shrugged apologetically. _Leave it to Donnie to poke holes in my logic. _

Don's face softened with concern. "It sounded really bad." He took a moment to study Mikey's face. "And you look a bit pale, too. Do you feel okay? I have some cough drops in the lab—"

"—Whoa, Donnie you worry too much," Mikey interrupted hastily. "I'm fine. Really." The turtle gave his best smile.

"Oh no you don't, Mikey. You're not going to get away this time," Don chided with a hard stare. He stood up from the couch and put himself in front of Mikey. "Let's go to my lab. A simple check-up won't take up much time at all."

_Shell, I have to escape. This is not going well. _"But-but—"

"No buts, Mikey. Listen to Donnie," Leo said sharply. "There's a perfectly good reason to be worried about you—that cough looked pretty painful. And playing the tough turtle isn't gonna get you anywhere." He turned to Don and said, "I'll leave him in your hands. I'll be in the dojo if you need me."

"Sure, Leo," Don responded.

As Leo started to walk away he called to Mikey, "It's because we care about you bro, that we're so insistent. Keep that in mind."

"I know…" Mikey muttered, feeling a bit guilty. _And it's exactly because of that I don't want you guys to know about my injury. And what happened that day. _

Don watched Leo leave for a moment then locked his eyes on Mikey. "C'mon, Mike." He turned around, expecting his brother to follow.

But Mikey hesitated for a second, looking in the direction of the lair's exit. _I can escape now, when Donnie's not looking._ Mikey swiveled his head back to Don's retreating form._ But what then? I'd have to come back sometime and would totally be in like so much trouble. I have to be smart about this, as boring as that sounds. _

"Mikey, what are you staring at?" Don called from outside his lab. "Get over here!"

"Sorry, sorry…" Mikey walked quickly into the lab where Don was impatiently waiting by an empty stool.

"Sit please," Don said.

Mikey silently complied. As soon as he sat down, Don went to rummage through the small medical kit he had pulled out. Mikey couldn't help but be a little nervous. He bounced his legs out of habit and shivered a bit as he felt a chill go down his back. He was virtually shaking when Don finally spun around with his tools.

Don gave a surprised look before he smiled sympathetically. "Don't look so sacred. Nothing's going to hurt."

"I'm not scared!" Mikey defended in a whiny voice. "I'm just…a little cold is all."

Don moved to Mikey with a popsicle stick and small flashlight in hand, gesturing for the turtle to open his mouth. When Mikey did, Don leaned closer and inspected his throat with sharp, attentive eyes.

"Cold, huh?" Don said doubtfully, continuing the conversation to calm his brother down. "It's room temperature in here, you know."

Mikey shrugged in response. _That's weird. I thought it was just nerves but now that I think about it, I really do feel chilled. _

"Alright, now I want you to say 'aah'."

"Aaaaaah…"

After a moment, Don took the popsicle stick out of Mikey's mouth. "You're such a good patient. You have no idea how hard it is to get Raph or Leo to do anything."

Mikey smiled for the first time he had come into the lab. "I can't imagine..."

Don reached for his stethoscope and positioned it on the youngest's chest. "Okay, I want you to breathe deeply for me." Mikey sucked in a breath and let it out. Don waited for a second before moving the instrument to a higher position.

"Again," came the soft order.

Mikey obeyed, careful to keep his face expressionless. _Ouch. Deep breaths are not going well for my side. It kinda hurts. _

"Again." Don placed the stethoscope on Mikey's back.

Suppressing his inner discomfort, Mikey inhaled and exhaled once more.

"One last time."

Mikey breathed in—and started to cough. _Gah, not this again! I can't take this pain…_

Don went right to patting Mikey's shell but the episode only lasted a few more seconds. "You okay, bro?"

"Yeah. Um, sorry." Mikey gave a weak grin.

Don sighed. "Don't be, it's not your fault. But now I'm a little more worried about you."

_Great, just what I need. Better play it cool. _"Am I okay?" Mikey asked.

"Your throat looked a little irritated, but it didn't look swollen." Don paused, trying to find the right words for what he'd say next. "What I'm worried about is that…I don't like the sound your lungs are making."

Mikey cocked his head to the side. "What's that mean?"

Don rubbed the back of his head. "It's hard to explain, but let's just say that the good news is it didn't sound like there was any fluid inside. The bad news is that _something_ is irritating your lungs, and that's why you're coughing."

_That doesn't sound good. This may be completely separate from my side after all, but it definitely doesn't make me feel better. It just gives me and now Donnie more to worry about. _"Dr. Donnie strikes again!" Mikey exclaimed, hoping to cheer up his brother.

Don gave a small chuckle, glad that at least Mikey was still his happy self, despite the diagnosis. But his smile dropped as he said, "I don't want to scare you Mikey, but this could be a sign of bronchitis or pneumonia—"

"—What?" Mikey interrupted, his eyes wide.

Don put a hand on Mikey's shoulder. "Let me finish. I said it could be a sign, but that doesn't mean you have it; I'm just making you aware of the worst case scenario. Really, it's much more likely that it's a simple bacteria or virus that's making you cough. Okay?"

Mikey nodded his head sullenly. "So…I'm sick?"

"Yeah," Don answered with sad smile. "But I'm gonna take care of you, and the best treatment is to get a lot of rest and fluids."

Mikey made a face. "I'm gonna be cooped up in my room for a while, aren't I."

Don shook his head. "No, no. It'll be a day or two at the most. All you have are the symptoms of a cold, and no fever." Don stepped back and started to pack up his medical kit. "You'll be fine in no time."

_That's a relief. With a few days to myself to recover, my side will be as good as new. And Donnie hasn't even asked me once about it. I guess I'm—_

Don swiveled around suddenly. "Oh before I forget, I've been meaning to take a look at your side."

_Shell._ Mikey shied away from his brother as discreetly as possible, hoping to reach the lab door.

Don sighed, a little annoyed that his brother was resisting him again. "Mikey, don't be so stubborn." He quickly made his way to Mikey, cornering him against the wall. "I just want to look at it."

_Double shell._


	8. The Failed Escape

**It's about time I got another chapter up…whew. Now things are finally getting interesting! Hope everyone is still in character…I don't know if I'm any good at these angsty scenes. Please enjoy and review!**

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><p>"No, it's really okay, Don. It's fine," Mikey said. He squirmed against the wall, trying not to look his older brother in the eyes.<p>

"Why are you being so difficult today?" Don pressed closer to Mikey, making his brother tense up even more. "Please, Mikey. There's no use resisting me."

_I'm won't give up without trying, but I don't want to fight my bros any more than they want to fight with me. _Still looking away, Mikey whimpered. It was his way of showing he didn't want to listen. _I'm feeling pretty tired anyway. _

After a minute of waiting in silence, Don let out an exasperated sigh. "Mikey," he said in a low voice. "Let me see your side. _Now_." Don kept his face calm, but his tone was almost hostile.

Mikey's stubborn expression dropped from his face instantly. "No I—n-no," Mikey stuttered, caught off-guard from Don's reaction. _Donnie's pissed. I knew he wouldn't just nicely back off, but I didn't think I'd make him angry. And he's totally not one to mess around with when he's mad; it could seriously start off World War III in here. _

At the slightly frightened look Mikey gave, Don realized his mistake. "Wait don't—don't give me that look, Mikey. I just…I worry about you, okay?" The purple-banded turtle tried to put a hand on Mikey's arm to reassure him, but the youngest jerked away. "I just wanted to make sure it was healing properly," Don pleaded.

Mikey shook his head. "I-I told you I'm okay," he muttered softly.

Don pushed further, practically shouting, "How many times do I have to tell _you? _I just—"

"—NO!" Mikey cut Don off with just as loud a voice. He winced a bit from the flare of pain it sent up his side. "You can't!" _This is getting out of control…and it's so hard to think straight like this._

"I can't what, Mikey?" Don yelled back, his patience wearing thin.

Mikey was almost in tears. "You can't see it! It's fine, I took care of it!"

At this point, Don was terribly vexed at the way the youngest was acting. Hoping to calm his brother and make sense of this crazy mess, he made a move towards Mikey, attempting a second time to lay a comforting hand on the turtle's arm. Instantly, Don found himself shoved back roughly. It hardly sent him back a few feet, but the assault itself was enough for Don to look at Mikey in utter disbelief.

Mikey stared right back, his expression almost identical to his older brother's. _What the shell am I doing? I don't want to fight Donnie. No, no, no! It can't be this way. I don't want to fight against anything! Not my brothers, not Master Splinter, not this pain, not my own memories of that day! And I can't cry. I won't—_

Now completely fed up with the youngest, Don made the rash decision to rip off Mikey's bandage himself. Mikey used his lightning-fast reflexes to dodge to the side, but Don had already taken his brother's reaction into account. Without hesitation, he whipped out his hand again to reach for Mikey's side—but right before he made contact, Mikey let out a wild scream.

Don froze. All he could do was gape at his youngest brother in horror. He backed away shakily, taking the sight in. Mikey was trembling at this point, pressed up so hard against the wall that it almost seemed like he could pass right through it. And he was crying. _Crying_. His little brother, whom Don had always sworn to protect from sadness and pain looked like a caged beast, ready to spring out at any second.

The door to the lab was thrust open suddenly, making Don jump out of his trance. "Donnie, what's goin' on? We heard someone scream," called Raph, entering the lab. Leo was already ahead of him, walking briskly to his two siblings.

Spotting Mikey's tears, Leo immediately grabbed Don firmly by the arm and forcefully pulled him away from Mikey. His face wore a furious glare. "I thought you were just going to do a simple check-up. What is wrong with you?"

Don visibly bristled, outraged at Leo's distrust. "Nothing is wrong with _me_, Leo," Don ground out crossly. "Mikey is the one we should be worried about."

"No shit, Sherlock!" Raph snapped angrily, unashamed to shout profanities without his Sensei around. "He's cryin'!"

Mikey stayed in his position against the wall, looking toward the open lab door. His mind was riddled with jumbled thoughts, for he was too distracted with the pain in his side to think any more clearly. _I have to escape. I gotta escape. I can't let them see. I have to stop crying, I can't be a baby. Gotta block out the pain. Need to escape…_

Leo let go of Don's arm but didn't lower his formidable stare. "Explain this."

Don gave a shuddering sigh. "I examined Mikey and found that he had the symptoms of some bacterial or viral illness, which was irritating his lungs." Don paused, deciding to turn to his orange-banded brother, who still hung against the wall. "Nothing a little rest and fluids can't fix, though."

Leo nodded understandingly. Raph was shocked. "Mike's…sick?" Raph said, nonplussed. He glanced at Leo for a second and then narrowed his eyes at Don. "But what does that have ta do—"

"—Not finished," Don interrupted. "I was about to let him go when I asked him about his side." Don gestured to the bandaged area he was talking about, but Mikey didn't seem to notice.

Leo's and Raph's eyes darted to their brother's injury in worry.

"But you wouldn't let me see it, would you, Mikey?" Don questioned, hoping to get a response.

Mikey sniffled, starting to rub away his tears, but didn't answer. _I can't stay here. I have to get out. Side is still hurting, why can't it stop? Have to escape…_

Leo looked to Don in disappointment. "That's what this is all about? I can't believe you would make Mikey cry over this."

"It wasn't just some simple argument, Leo!" Don exclaimed, surprising his older brothers. "Mikey is hiding something! I'm really worried about this; he-he's been acting really unlike himself."

Raph smirked. "Probably jus' hidin' porn or somethin'."

Half a second later, Don punched Raph in the face. "_I'm serious!_" he shrieked, finally unleashing the smoldering fury that had bottled up inside him.

Leo hauled Don back with a stunned expression much like Raph's.

"What has gotten in to you?"

"What has gott'n in ta ya?"

Leo and Raph expressed their anger at Don at the same time with the exact same phrase. In the heat of the moment, all three brothers looked at each other from the unexpected humor at the situation. Don relaxed a bit from his rigid stance.

It was then that Mikey detached himself from the wall and bolted out of the lab.

Don whipped his head to the door at the high-speed movement he caught in the corner of his eye. "Mikey, NO!" he cried, starting to run after his brother. "MIKEY!"

Don could sense Leo and Raph rushing behind him. Without turning his head he yelled, "You guys, we have to catch him. He's already sick and it's definitely not good to run around like this." Leo and Raph grunted in approval, each going their separate ways to search for the youngest. "Don't let him leave the lair!" Don shouted at their retreating figures.

Mikey was proud of his daring escape at the lab, but his energy had quickly run out after that. He had stopped only a small distance away from the entrance to the lair. Wheezing and coughing, he desperately tried to take a few more steps toward his escape. But as soon as he started, another spurt of pain crawled up his side. He gave a weak cry before tumbling on his own feet, unable to keep himself standing any longer. _It hurts, it hurts so much…I just want it to stop…just want it all to end…_Mikey started to cry again, ashamed that he couldn't even make it a couple more yards to the door.

And that was how his brothers found him, sniveling pitifully on the ground. "MIKEY!" came the panicked call from three older turtles.

In a desperate last attempt, Mikey feebly rose his arms up to protect himself. _Can't…let 'em see…_

Leo, Don, and Raph were heart-broken at the scene. "Mikey, we're not gonna hurt you," Leo said softly. He wanted to take hold of Mikey, but hesitated. He didn't want to make things worse.

Raph kneeled to the ground beside his crying brother. "Ya gotta trust us, bro."

Don scooted close to Mikey and lightly grabbed his arm. Instinctively, Mikey tried to yank his arm back, but found he was too weak. Suddenly he felt a little prick in his shoulder. _That's funny…Feels like i'm being drained of everything…feels so…warm…_Mikey heard voices play above him, but was too out of it to understand what they were saying.

"Donnie! Did you just _inject_ something into Mikey? What the shell were you thinking?"

"It's okay Leo; it's only some sedative... *Sigh* It had to be done."

Mikey couldn't keep his eyes open any longer and finally drifted to sleep.


	9. The Ultimate Truth

**I always feel so bad when I take too long to update my story. And I feel even worse when not much happens in them, but I really hope you like this chapter anyway! Please enjoy and review :)**

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><p>Mikey dully became aware of the fact that a familiar pain was bugging him. And before he was even truly conscious, something compelled him to rouse from his peaceful sleep. The ache grew worse, and Mikey took notice that it seemed to be coming from his side. Another jolt of pain made his hand twitch—and instantly he felt a new warmth on the appendage. That sensation was what finally brought Mikey into the realm of consciousness.<p>

Mikey moaned weakly, scrunching up his face. He felt sluggish and disoriented. As Mikey attempted to crack his eyes open, he tried to piece together what he could. _Where am I? I don't think this is my bed…feel pretty bad…and I hear something…_

Hoping to get more clues, Mikey strained to identify the noises around him. _Someone's talking. But who? _The voices sounded distant and at some point the words jumbled together in a confusing mess. Giving up on listening, Mikey decided to turn his muddled thoughts to the strange throbbing in his side. _It really hurts…and I can't open my eyes, too tired…it hurts…side hurts…side hurts? _

Suddenly recalling everything that had happened, Mikey's eyes snapped open in shock. _I was running away, but I don't remember anything after that! What happened? _Mikey wildly swiveled his head to take in his surroundings. It seemed that he was back in the lab. Heart pounding, he eventually turned to face none other than Don. He immediately noticed that his brother's mouth was moving, but his racing mind couldn't catch what the turtle was saying. He felt a strong pressure on his plastron that pushed him back down on the bed. Mikey resisted as much as he could, but his arms trembled under the stress.

Unable to fight back, Mikey started to hyperventilate. _I have to get out! Get out, get out, get OUT!_

"Mikey, stop! You've got to listen to me!"

Mikey flinched when he finally could understand what his brother had been yelling all along. At the pause, the strain on Mikey's body had just endured finally caught up with him. The youngest started to cough. Suddenly Mikey became aware of new hands grasping him. Overwhelmed with pain and fear, Mikey went limp against his support. When the coughing fit was over, Mikey remained still, letting his head clear. He focused on the sounds around him.

"Leo, get me that sedative on the table over there, we might need it." There were hurried footsteps and a rustling sound. Mikey distractedly judged that it came from behind him.

"Raph, you're gonna have to work with me here, and keep a hold of Mikey. Believe me, it'd hurt him more if we _didn't_ restrain him."

Mikey turned his attention to the sound of running water on his right side. It stopped abruptly, and he heard more footsteps, this time coming towards him. Finally calmed down, Mikey drowsily lifted his eyes to face his older brother once more. "D-don…" he whimpered. _Don't even know what to say…where to begin. How can I possibly fix this?_

"Here, drink this," said Don in a gentle voice, while tipping a glass of water to Mikey's lips.

Mikey took a moment to swallow down some water, and caught a glimpse of Raph who he suddenly noticed was holding him up with a warm hand. He mustered up enough strength to drop his own hand on top of Raph's shoulder in thanks. He felt Raph flinch from the unexpected touch. When Mikey was finished, he felt himself being lowered down back on the bed. His blanket was readjusted by Leo.

_Now that I'm conscious, I thought that my bros would interrogate the shell out of me, but they're just standing around, all silent and stuff. It's not like them._ The youngest felt even more anxious. Hoping to strike some sort of conversation, Mikey lolled his head lazily to the side, peering around Don and Leo to gaze at the open lab door, which to his surprise didn't seem to let any light in. He scanned the lab once more, taking in the dim light that lit up the room.

"Why's it so dark?" Mikey asked, looking up at his brothers expectantly. He watched the three turtles' expressions turn dark.

Don was the first to answer. "It's 4:30 in the morning, Mikey. You've been asleep for over twelve hours."

Mikey's eyes widened. _Twelve hours? How did I sleep for so long?_

"We've been looking after ya fer the whole time," Raph said, finally lifting his hands off of Mikey to cross them on his chest. "Ya sure know how ta make us wait."

Leo gave Raph a disapproving glare before adding, "Master Splinter was watching over you too, but we made him turn in for the night."

_I sure made them worry about me, huh? This is exactly what I didn't want. _Mikey slowly turned his head back to Don, blinking his eyes owlishly as if fight off sleep. "You…used drugs on me, didn't you?" Mikey cracked a smile, but it didn't carry much sincerity in it. "No wonder. You should've seen the crazy dreams I just had—it was a psychedelic nightmare, I tell ya."

Don found himself smiling just as sorrowfully back. "And here I was worried you turned crazy or something—but you're still the same Mikey we all know."

"Of course, dude." Mikey gave a nervous laugh before smiling. This time though, it looked a little more genuine.

"Wasn't a compliment, shell-head," Raph interjected. He usual scowl was pulled into an unreadable frown.

If Mikey hadn't known any better, he might have sworn that Raph almost looked scared. In fact, the way his brothers seemed so solemn scared Mikey himself. _It feels like they're acting…careful around me. Like I really am crazy. But Don was just joking, right? My bros aren't scared—that's totally impossible. _

Suddenly, the youngest's injured side sent a searing burn up his body. The turtle gasped at the unanticipated pain, tensing up. Don reached out to his bedridden brother, putting a hand on Mikey's cheek to catch his attention, asking, "How much does it hurt?" The purple-banded turtle's voice was calm enough, but the worried expression betrayed his otherwise levelheaded composure.

After his initial surprise, Mikey relaxed a bit. "Um…it's not that bad. I barley feel it now." Mikey shifted his eyes to his hands, absentmindedly fiddling his thumbs. "I was just surprised for a second, that's all."

Mikey saw Leo sigh deeply, as if disappointed. He gave a serious stare to Mikey, making him fidget even more on his bed. "You're lying, Mikey."

Mikey snapped his head up in shock. "W-what?"

"You're lying to us about the pain," Don clarified.

Raph grunted in areement. " 'An ya been lyin' about it the whole time too, bro. 'S time ya gave it up."

Mikey averted his eyes guiltily. "No, I—"

"—I made an X-ray of your side," Don snapped angrily. "It showed that you had two _broken ribs_."

Mikey's mouth hung open. "I-It can't be…" He looked to Raph and Leo as if to confirm that his brother was telling the truth. His stomach sank at their severe expressions. _That's what the pain was from? I thought it was bad, but broken ribs…I'm on a whole new level of 'in trouble'. I can't believe this…this is insane._

Leo took a hold of Mikey's hand and squeezed it hard. Mikey flinched. "How _could_ you, Michelangelo?" he hissed, narrowing his eyes . "Why in the world did you keep this from us?"

"Why fight us so hard?" Don added, his expression now twisted into something that made Mikey shiver. Don looked so hurt, completely exasperated at his little brother.

_Don almost looks in pain. Really, all my brothers do. I don't want to be here…wish I could just sink into the covers and never come out again. I lied to them; that's the ultimate truth. I'm so ashamed, but I still can't…I can't bring myself to tell the truth…it's just been tearing me apart. _With such dark emotions racing in his head, Mikey couldn't help but grip onto his blanket in anguish.

Mikey forced out a shuddering breath. "I…I'm sorry I couldn't tell you…I don't know what to say other than I'm s—" Mikey's voice cracked suddenly, and he started to cry. "Sorry, I'm so sorry…" His tears dripped onto the blanket below him, and Mikey gripped them even tighter. _I'm so embarrassed, crying in front of my older brothers…I don't want to feel like such a baby. But the tears keep coming…I can't stop._

The room was quiet except for the sound of Mikey's sniffles. Don, Raph and Leo were frozen where they stood, at a complete loss. It was one thing to see your brother in pain, but crying was almost mortifying. They were ninja, trained with harsh discipline that called for them to never show their emotions. Of course, they were teenagers, so their emotions did come into play more often than not—but their sadness, their _weakness_ was never exposed. Especially for the youngest. Mikey's smile and easygoing ways were a constant in the otherwise unsentimental world the four ninja turtles' were subject to.

Raph couldn't take the silence any more, crying out, "Mike, we wanna help ya, honest. But ya gotta help us first!" When Mikey started to calm down, Raph continued in a softer tone. "I…we really don' like seein' ya cry, so jus' tell us—"

"—I can't," Mikey whispered in a sudden reply.

"Mikey, don't be like this!" Leo countered desperately.

Mikey tried to say something back, but started to cough instead. For a minute, all he could do was hold his side in agony while his brothers scrambled above him. Mikey was lifted up again, and as soon as the couching had ended, was given another glass of water. He held it himself this time and greedily drank the water down. When empty glass was taken away Mikey was laid back down, panting from exhaustion. The youngest's tear-stained face gleamed as he turned his head to the side and scrunched his eyes in obvious pain.

Now, Don was in tears. "Is this what you wanted? Huh?" he cried, balling his shaking hands in to fists at his side. "To let your wound fester like this, and…and…you need to trust us Mikey! I can't even fathom what _possibly_ could have made you hide this from us, but you better learn your lesson now_, _or else that"—he pointed to the youngest's side—"will be the least of your problems. Look at us straight in the eye and tell us what happened." At the terrified look Mikey gave, Don lowered his voice for his last plea. "Michelangelo…_please_."

Mikey slumped, overcome by the finality of it all. _I have to tell my brothers._


	10. The Sealed Room

**All I can say is…being evil is fun. Enjoy the chapter, it's here unexpectedly early! Reviews are very much appreciated. **

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><p>"First, you gotta understand…I didn't know I had broken ribs. I-I knew I was hurt, but…" Mikey trailed off, clutching his chest with his arm. "…I didn't think it would be that serious." <em>And I didn't think you'd find out about it either.<em>

Raph growled lowly. "Mikey, broken ribs freakin' hurt like a b—"

"—Raph, language!" Leo interrupted sternly before Raph could finish his sentence.

Giving an irritated look to Leo, Raph continued. "Look, what I mean is ya musta been in some serious pain if ya were putin' up with broken ribs, bro. How could ya _not_ think it was serious?"

Mikey clenched his side tighter in shame. "I didn't even want to think about it," he muttered grimly. "Enduring the pain alone…was enough."

Leo's breath caught in his throat. "You mean it was enough to punish yourself."

Mikey flinched visibly in surprise. "Yeah." _That's the guilt king for ya. Leo's definitely the expert in this area. _

Don cleared his throat loudly. "What's past is past," he said in a soft voice, looking to Mikey again. "Let's just start from the beginning."

Mikey sat up slowly, careful of his side. At that position, he finally had a good look at it—and cringed. Now that he was no longer covered with a bandage, Mikey could see how swollen the area had gotten, as well as how colorful. _Man, I can see half the rainbow on my side. I really understand Raph's point now, and he's right. In the back of my mind I knew it was bad, but I just didn't want to accept it. I didn't want to accept…what I'd done. _

Taking a deep breath, Mikey began. "I was walking in the sewers, coming back from the comic book store, when I decided to go the long way home." Mikey shrugged. "There was really no reason to…I just felt like it. And then, on the way I…" Mikey hesitated for a second. "There was this sound. And I know it's usually not in our best interest to pursue things that could be dangerous …well actually it didn't, like, seem strange or anything. See, the noise was familiar somehow, but I knew it wasn't a trap or something." Mikey could feel his nervousness grow as he drew closer to the truth. _I know I'm starting to babble, but I can't help it. "_Well, not that I could really tell whether or not it was a trap it just didn't seem like it could be, it was so familiar sounding and all—"

"—Mikey," came a gentle voice.

The youngest froze. "I-I know…I'm rambling. Sorry."

"It's not that," Leo continued. "You're shaking."

The oldest turtle put a comforting hand on Mikey's plastron, and it was only then—as Mikey felt his own erratic heartbeat— that he fully realized the rest of his condition. _I didn't know I was shivering like this, with tremors head to toe, I can't breathe deeply enough and my chest hurts, it aches, can't—_

"Calm down, just take it slow," soothed Don, pulling Mikey away from his inner turmoil.

The youngest flushed, suddenly ashamed. He gave a surprised squeak as another hand captured his chin and turned his head up. His eyes widened as he stared at the one responsible. "R-Raph?"

"Look here," Raph commanded gruffly, his concerned frown fading slightly. "Yer gonna get through this, be stronger. Yer gonna lose yer fear."

_Lose…my fear. _Despite the tremble that still racked the youngest's body, the turtle nodded resolutely. Raph gave a confident smirk back. _Shell, I'm such a mess. But if there's one thing that I can count on for myself, it's that I never give—_

-BEEP-BEEP- BEEP-BEEP- BEEP-BEEP- BEEP-BEEP- BEEP-BEEP- BEEP-BEEP- BEEP-BEEP- BEEP-BEEP- BEEP-BEEP- BEEP-BEEP-

Suddenly, a loud beeping noise erupted from Don's main computer workstation in the lab. The sensor lights flashed wildly, flooding the dimly-lit room in bright red.

"What-what's goin' on?" Raph yelled over the shrill alarm.

Don was already typing away madly on the supercomputer. "It's the defense system. Something's tripped it!"

"Can you turn it off?" Leo called over his shoulder, keeping a calm face.

Don fiddled with his machine. "One second…there." When sounding alarm was deactivated, Mikey and Raph lowered their hands from their ears.

"So…what set off the alarm?" Mikey asked in a quiet voice.

"That's what I'm trying to find out," Don answered. Leo and Raph left their place beside Mikey's bed to help Don. "Raph, Leo, see what you can do to get a visual on the intruder. There are two different cameras in that area that can be adjusted wirelessly from here." Don caught movement from the youngest in the corner of his eye. Without turning his head he instructed, "Mikey, you should stay in bed."

Mikey held his position from where he had started to move. He swayed his dangling feet that had almost touched the floor. "I wanted to help."

"Just rest, little bro," came the reply from Leo.

"Hey, I've got something!" Raph announced. "And…it's definitely not human."

Don sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I was afraid it'd be a foot ninja or something."

Leo nodded in agreement. "So then, what exactly is it?" The three older turtles crowded around the screen.

"It's a bit too dark to make out much, but judging by the size, maybe…a raccoon?" Don guessed. "Though it's so skinny, you could almost say it's a cat."

Mikey almost choked on his own spit. _No. No. It can't be. No. It couldn't have survived...it's impossible!_ Mikey gripped the fabric beneath him to steady himself. _Gotta calm down…it's just a coincidence. Gotta be strong, lose my fear…_

"Where…where did you find the…intruder?" Mikey asked sofly, hoping his brothers wouldn't detect his rising anxiety.

"Huh? Oh, it's right next to the Laird Street entrance," Don answered distractedly. He turned back to the conversation between his two other siblings. "Alright Leo, if it's a robot spy or something, I can try to intercept the signal…"

Mikey tuned out his chatting brothers. His arms snaked around him as he held himself in a tight hug. _Shell. Shell. That's so close to…where it happened. It can't be a coincidence, it just can't! Maybe it did survive, maybe I'm not—_Mikey ceased his tremors. Silently, he let his feet touch the cold lab floor. _I have to see for myself. I have to know for sure. _Mikey took a deep breath and held it. _I have to make this right._

Holding his breath, Mikey used his ninja stealth to make the short distance to the lab door. He backed away from his brothers slowly, keeping his eyes on their backs as they discussed their next plan of action. Mikey felt a familiar stab of pain in his side but ignored it. Only seconds passed, but it felt like hours to Mikey. When he finally reached the door, he knew he had won. Suddenly, he yanked open the thick lab door and slammed it shut. He could hear muffled yells from behind it, and knew he had no time to spare. With expert precision, Mikey aimed his fist—and smashed the electronic code-activated lock that was mounted on the door. As soon as Mikey heard the expected 'click' sound of the door locking shut, he bolted to the entrance of the lair. Fighting against his raging emotions and the spikes pain in his side, Mikey stopped in front of the large entrance door and opened it to reveal the sewer tunnel behind it. Just to be safe, Mikey turned back to check that no one was following him.

"Forgive me, bros," Mikey whispered. And with that, he disappeared from the lair, running as fast as his body would allow him toward the Laird Street sewer entrance. He repeated a mantra in his head to keep moving despite the agony that tore through his chest. _I may not be one after all. I may not be one after all. I may not be—a killer!_


	11. The Desperate Search

**Sorry for the wait! I humbly present yet another chapter. Hope you all enjoy! Let me know what you think about it, and please review. Thank you for reading.**

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><p>It was when Don had just finished scanning the Laird Street entrance area for an electronic signature that he heard the lab door slam shut. He, Raph, and Leo jolted out of their seats at the noise and immediately realized that Mikey was nowhere to be found. Raph was the first to run to the door in rage, yelling his brother's name, but just as soon as he reached it the sound of the electronic lock system being smashed and the inevitable 'click' that followed echoed through the lab room. Raph and Leo pounded at the door while Don furiously tried to jiggle the handle. Nothing worked.<p>

"MIKEY!" Raph screamed with his head pressed up against the door. "Mikey, ya betta' get back here so I can kill ya fer doin' this!" After few more kicks to the metal door, he stepped away panting.

In the awkward silence that arose, the three siblings exchanged glances. All three wore a defeated expression; they knew Mikey was long gone.

Don slipped to his knees, his shell against the door. "He did it again…"

"Yeah," Leo agreed somberly. "He really can't seem to let go of something."

Raph gave a low growl. "Don' tell me he was planning ta escape the whole time?"

The room was quiet for a second. Finally, Leo shook his head resolutely. "No, I think he really did want to tell us."

Don stood up suddenly. "It doesn't matter anyway. Mikey's been running around with two broken ribs for god's sake!" The turtle's voice rose in anger. "He'll end up killing himself at this rate! I just don't get how he can't understand."

Raph clapped a hand on Don's shoulder to comfort him. "Ya saw him shakin' like that, Donnie—something like that…he musta been really scared." He gave an uncharacteristic sigh. "He's neva' been the type ta bottle things up inside though…"

"That's what worries me the most!" Don replied heatedly. "It's one thing for Mikey to be scared…but this is completely different!

"Guys, calm down." Leo said in a stern tone. He pressed himself in between his two younger brothers to separate them.

"Calm down?" Raph cried. "Are you nuts, Leo? How can ya expect me ta calm down when my little bro could be _dyin'_ somewhere—"

"—He's my brother too, Raph!" Leo shouted back, losing his composure for a second. He took a deep breath and started again. "And my brothers, _our family_, will stick together no matter what. The only way we can do that is to focus on getting out of here and finding Mikey. You said it yourself, Raph—you have to get stronger. Not only for yourself, but for your family!" Quieting down once more, Leo turned away from Raph. "Donnie, is there a way to break down this door?"

Don stood there stunned for a moment before nodding in answer to Leo's question. "Y-yeah. Just in case, I set up an override program for the door's electronic lock on my computer. It'll take a few minutes."

Once Raph had calmed down, he began to stretch his sore arms and legs and watched Don type away at the super computer. "Why'd ya have ta make this door so damn strong anyway?" he muttered crossly.

"So that if there was an explosion, it wouldn't destroy anything outside the lab," Don deadpanned.

"What?" Leo exclaimed suddenly. "You mean you _plan_ to have explosions occur?"

Don flinched. "Eh…t-that's beside the point."

Raph chuckled a bit. "So…when we get outta here...are we splittin' up ta look fer Mikey?"

"Nope," Don answered. "I think I have an idea where he went."

Leo nodded. "The Laird Street sewer entrance."

Raph's eyes widened. "How'd ya guys figure that out?" he asked suspiciously, a little embarrassed that he was out of the loop.

"The moment he asked about the intruder's location, I thought he'd be a chatterbox like always, questioning away to satisfy his usual curiosity," Don reasoned. "But we didn't hear another word out of him."

Leo turned away from Don's computer screen and fixed his eyes on Raph. "And when he was describing what happened before—he said he was walking in the sewer when something happened. If you connect those two things…" Leo trailed off.

Raph grunted in understanding. "Well as soon as we can bust that door down—"

"—which is now!" Don interrupted, standing up from his seat. "The door's been unlocked." He flashed a proud smile as Raph rushed to turn the handle and swung the lab door wide open.

Leo stepped out of the lab first and spun back to face Raph and Don. "Let's find our brother and bring him home."

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><p><em>Run. Breathe.<em> As if his only purpose in the world was to do those two things, Mikey pressed on toward his destination. _Run. Breathe. Can't stop. Can't rest. As long as I can still run, as long as I can still breathe—_

Mikey's foot suddenly collided with a rusted pipe. He tripped, falling flat on his face. He was too tired to even cry out in pain at the impact. And for a minute, he laid on the cold, filthy ground, struggling to take in air to his damaged chest. A memory flashed through his mind—and he tucked his legs under him with renewed determination. _I'm almost there, I can make it. _Mikey managed to smile to himself despite everything. _I'm the greatest ninja there is, right? I'm the Battle Nexus Champion, a warrior who never backs down; I'm Turtle Titan, a hero who saves the lives of many. I can't give up here. _

Mikey pushed his body to run as fast as he could when he finally recognized a certain stripped ladder that led up to the surface. "I'm here…" he whispered breathlessly to himself, "…at Laird Street."

Mikey stopped suddenly, grabbing onto the ladder for support. Catching his breath, he scanned the area, hoping to find what he was looking for. Before him were two tunnels that split off in different directions—one extended from the path he had come from and the second was perpendicular to it. Mikey let out a breath, realizing he was alone. _If it's not here, then there's only one place it could be._ The turtle straightened himself and headed towards the second tunnel. Though it was too dark to see where it led, he knew what was waiting on the other side.

After exiting the dark tunnel, Mikey shielded himself immediately from the bright lights that shone down from above. He staggered a bit, dizzy from the sudden change. When Mikey's eyes readjusted to the light, he scrutinized the open space thoroughly. Far below the corroded metal platform where Mikey stood was a large drainage pool filled with sewer water. In the center of its depths spun a large propeller, which created a whirlpool within the small body of water. The other end of the room opened up with a metal platform as well, suggesting that at one time it served as a bridge between the two openings, although it too was corroded beyond repair. But for Mikey and his brothers, a bridge was not needed. Pipes of varying sizes cut across the large space, allowing those with the balance of a ninja to easily reach the other side.

Mikey stopped his search to let out a hacking cough. He dropped to his knees when it was over, panting hard. _It's getting worse. I don't have much time._ He lifted his head and examined the area from his position, straining to catch a glimpse, a sound, _anything_ to convince him the one he wanted most was there. _Please be here. I can't take this guilt anymore. Show me a sign. Please. _

Mikey tried to stand up, but couldn't summon enough strength at the moment to hold up his shaking body. His vision went blurry for a second, and Mikey hurriedly rubbed his eyes. He could barely keep his head up anymore. _Please. Before I pass out I need to make sure. Please. Please. _

It was then that a soft sound echoed across the room. If Mikey hadn't been stressing so much to listen for something, he probably wouldn't have caught it. It was so familiar, so soothing, that Mikey first thought that he had imagined it—until it sounded again.

_Meow._

Mikey snapped his head to the direction it came from, below him and to the right. He clutched his side. _Could it be…? _

In his line of sight, Mikey spotted a small, shadowed figure in the cut-off opening of a large pipe that stuck out from the wall. It was so close to the whirlpool of water that Mikey had to lean over the edge of the metal platform to make out the shape of the creature he had heard the faint noise come from. Mikey's breath caught in his throat when he came to the realization that it was a cat. He gave a choked-off laugh and smiled widely. Mikey was too exhausted to do anything else but whisper in response to the cat's cries.

"I found you."


	12. The Great Rescue

**Hello again, and happy holidays! I know I haven't updated in a while, and I can only say that I am truly sorry to leave you guys hanging for so long. I myself had to go back and reread a few things that I didn't remember. But finally, the chapter has been finished, and the next is not far behind from being done. In short, you can expect to see a new chapter next week. (Awesome, right?) And most of all, please review and tell me what you think!**

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><p>Mikey crawled on his shaking hands and knees, slowly edging closer to the end of the metal platform. <em>I know I don't have much strength left, but I've got to do something. I guess I'll just make my way down by jumping from pipe to pipe, but there's no way it's gonna be that easy, right? <em>When Mikey reached the platform's rusted-off end, he peered down once more at the cat-shaped silhouette. He closed his eyes for a second to calm his wildly beating heart, reminding himself of his past mistake. Suddenly the turtle reopened his eyes, coughing a bit. Ignoring the throbbing pain in his side, Mikey got into position and mapped out the route he would take across the sewer pipes._ This time_…_I'll make the right choice._

Mikey concentrated all of his energy and jumped out from the platform, angling himself toward a large pipe that stretched out below him. After a tranquil moment in the air, Mikey's feet hit the rough surface of the pipe hard and the youngest couldn't help but cry out at spurt of pain the impact had sent up his side. _Ouch, ouch, OUCH. Dude…I'm glad I made it, but the landing sure hurt like shell! I thought if I didn't jostle my side too much, I'd be okay, but that impact force is killer. _

Mikey breathed in and out a few times to clear his head, but he was already seeing stars. _Alright…gotta pull myself together here. I still have four more jumps to get down, and then five more to get back up. Just have to get through this one jump at a time…_Mikey braced himself and tucked one arm against his side in slight hope that it would somehow lessen the impact. And then he jumped down again, this time aiming for a considerably smaller-sized pipe.

After making contact with the pipe, Mikey immediately tried to balance himself so he wouldn't fall off—the pipe was skinny enough that only the arches of his feet actually touched the metal. With all of his attention on not slipping, Mikey only felt a faint burn of pain that he was already used to.

"Second jump successful!" Mikey exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air. "Wha—oops—" Mikey wobbled a little from the sudden movement, but calmly regained a stable pose with ninja skill. Grinning from ear to ear, Mikey felt much more confident that he could handle all the jumps and save the cat. _I can do this, I can totally do this. _

For the third time, Mikey took off, setting his sights on a very rusty pipe below. He landed perfectly again, but made no move to celebrate this time. The stress and fatigue on Mikey's body had really weakened him; it was getting hard to breathe. _My chest is getting tighter…and I knew this would happen, but not now. No it can't be now, I'm not done yet. I gotta finish what I started._

Mikey stilled his shivering frame as best he could, knowing that he could fall if he wasn't careful. He looked up for a moment, catching a glimpse of the metal platform and the two pipes he had just come down from. _Just two more jumps, and I can rest with the cat beside me for a moment._ Mikey descended from his pipeline once more.

"Gah!" Mikey yelped when he collided with the last pipe. Because it was so close to the drainage pool water, this pipe was much more slippery than the others. Mikey's had almost lost his footing. Another familiar _meow_ came from below, and Mikey carefully looked down at the shadowed figure below him. The cat was much closer, and this time the youngest could see its shining eyes and bristly, gray fur. Mikey let out a long breath. _I only have one more jump to get into the open pipe. And it's almost like the cat is waiting for me to rescue it. Like it has already forgiven me or something. But that's not possible, right? I mean…_Mikey shook his head to clear the thoughts that raced inside. He exhaled another big breath and felt his throbbing side absently. _What am I talking about…I just have to think about getting it out of here asap. Well, maybe after a short break…_

"Al…almost there, 'kay little guy?" Mikey whispered as loud as he could. He knew it would hurt him more if he started to talk. _I still don't know if I have enough energy to make it. No, I can't think like that. Pull yourself together, Mikester. Just one measly—_

Mikey suddenly started to cough again. He sunk to his knees, gripping the slick pipe with all of his might and prayed that he wouldn't fall off. Pain washed over his body with renewed intensity as Mikey struggled to suck in air and stop coughing. Abruptly, a white flash surged in front of Mikey's eyes—it was as if something burst inside of him. And as Mikey was on verge of losing consciousness, he could barely feel himself slipping from the pipe. In the short, surreal moments that followed Mikey confusedly stared up at the pipe that withdrew from him. He could vaguely hear screaming echo across the large room and wondered if he was hearing himself. Mikey plunged into the drainage pool headfirst.

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><p>Pain was what came first through the darkness. Mikey's body convulsed and he could feel something dripping out of his mouth. He shivered. The voices came next, noisy and pleading. The sound of water rushing. The faint sound of a cat crying. Mikey's breathing hitched heavily, and a tiny half-whimper parted his lips. He struggled to open his eyes as his body jerked again.<p>

Raph, Leo, and Don watched fretfully as Mikey's eyes flitted open for a fraction of a second, then were forced shut as if he were in pain. Mikey continued to retch and shudder miserably, and was still unresponsive to his bothers' cries. Don and Leo started to rub Mikey's arms and plastron in attempt to warm him up. Raph just sat with Mikey's limp body in his arms, calling out his name.

It took a full minute for Mikey to open his eyes once more. He had stopped coughing by then, but the grimace on his face hadn't disappeared yet. _Ugh, what's all this pain from? I can't even breathe right, and my chest hurts so much again. What was I just…? _Mikey suddenly focused on his brothers who had leaned in close. _My bros are here? How did that happen?_ _Last time I saw them I…wait that's right! I locked them in—_

"Mikey? Bro?"

The youngest jolted a bit and rolled his head over ever so slightly so he could see Raph. A feeble, quivering smile formed on the turtle's lips before a small cough ripped them apart.

Raph shifted Mikey a bit and laid a warm hand on his brother's head. "Can ya hear me?" he said softly. When Mikey nodded, Raph, Leo, and Don all sighed in relief. "Ya gave us one hell of a scare, chucklehead."

Don huffed. "That's the understatement of the century! We sprint through the sewers like mad to finally find you falling into the drainage pool!" Don grabbed Mikey's hand and squeezed it hard. "You really could've drowned…"

"And when we get back we will discuss the consequences," Leo announced sternly. Mikey flinched, fully understanding what his oldest brother meant. Leo softened his voice. "But I guess that can wait until after you've recovered. For now just know that we were very, very worried about you."

Raph cleared his throat awkwardly, hoping to hide his embarrassment. "Alright, enough waitin' around. Let's get ya outta here and go home already."

Mikey was about to agree, but a single thought stopped him. _Something feels wrong. _He looked around at his surroundings and saw that he was laying on the metal platform again. His thoughts were broken as soon as Raph tried to sit him up, when pain shot through his body like an arrow. He moaned in agony.

"Easy, Raph, easy. He might have cracked another rib or something," Don advised.

_Ow…Well that's good to know. But I still feel like I'm missing a critical thing that—wait a second…the cat! I can't believe I almost forgot! _Mikey motioned for his brothers to stop.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked fearfully. "Is the pain too much?"

Mikey shook his head slowly and pointed to the large cut-off pipe below them. "There's a cat," he whispered, coughing a bit at the use of his sore throat. "Please…rescue the cat…" _It's gotta still be there, and I won't go home without it. I don't know how much time passed when I was out, but the cat can't be gone, can it?_

Raph looked down to where Mikey pointed skeptically, and Leo had a confused expression. Mikey was about to protest that he wasn't delusional when Don said gently, "I'll do it."

The three brothers watched in silence as Don made his way down, jumping on the same pipes that Mikey had used not long ago. Mikey held his breath when Don's form vanished as he walked further into the large pipe. _It has to be there. It has to. I don't know what I would do if I lost it again. _

All of a sudden, Don's jovial echo rebounded throughout the area, bouncing off the high walls of the drainage pool. "Hey, I found it!"

Mikey almost cried out of relief. He waited anxiously as Don jumped back up to the metal platform with the cat cradled in his arms. Mikey noticed right away that the cat had a patch of dried blood on its stomach, but was too happy to worry over it for the moment.

Don lowered the cat next to the youngest with a large smile. "You were right, Mikey. And this cat may not have made it if it hadn't been for you."

In contrast, an angry frown had crossed Raph's face; but an exchanged look with Leo made him make a tacit agreement to stay silent about the whole thing. At least until Mikey was a little better. He still looked pale and cold, and every time he moved he could cringe. Despite the pain, Mikey reached out and petted the damp fur of the cat. _At long last, you're safe, little guy. Sorry it took a few tries. But now you can stay with us and get a nice bath and brush out your pretty black fur—_

Mikey's hand stopped as he realized something incredibly important. _This cat has black fur. But the cat I tried to save earlier, the one I saw in the sewers that day—had gray fur. _

Mikey looked up to stare into the black cat's bright yellow eyes._ Which means…you aren't the same cat._


	13. The Sudden Realization

**Alright, alright. This chapter is late too. But I still hope you like it! Please review, and thanks for reading! We're almost at the end…**

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><p>Mikey retracted his hand weakly to his side as he continued to gape at the black cat. <em>This is impossible…if this isn't the right cat, then what happened to the other? What happened to the one I…the one that called out to me? <em>Mikey watched regretfully as the cat in Don's arms was moved away from him. Already, his head had become too heavy to hold up on his own; Mikey let himself fall back against Raph.

"Mike?" came Raph's soft call. "Somethin'…uh, wrong?" Mikey stared absently at his brother. Raph smirked, suddenly understanding the irony of his question. "I mean besides yer broken ribs and that crazy stunt ya jus' pulled?"

Mikey gave a small smile to his brother's comment, and the three turtles above him visibly relaxed at the familiar gesture. _I don't want to worry my bros even more, so I better keep them in the dark about this. I've already caused enough trouble, and that's coming from the prankster king! _"Nah…I was…just thinking—"

Mikey's answer cut off as he suddenly started coughing. He squeezed his eyes closed at the new wave of pain it brought and felt Raph tense up behind him. It only lasted half a minute, but by the end of it, Mikey was spent. _I'm so tired…I can't even move my arms or legs anymore. But somehow I still have to figure out what happened to the grey cat I saw earlier. And I have to do it now, 'cause I can bet that my bros won't let me even think of leaving the lair until I'm totally healed. _

Mikey felt a hand on his shoulder and he instantly opened his eyes. Leo was standing above him with a sad smile. "Let's get you home, okay?"

Mikey didn't respond but winced a little when Raph started to move. He felt his older brother slip muscled arms underneath his legs and just below his shoulders. Mikey was lifted up slowly, but the turtle's injuries still ached with pain, which left Mikey no time to prevent his siblings from leaving. Mikey bit back a gasp when Raph stopped abruptly in worry.

"Sorry bro," Raph said gruffly. "I know it hurts."

Mikey was about to respond—but something caught his eye. That same shadow he had seen in the large cut-off pipe was there again. _It's like déjà vu. I am I just seeing things or…? _Mikey twisted his head to get a better look. The same gray cat from before was there, watching Mikey expectantly. The youngest extended his hand toward the gray cat, hoping to alert his brothers, but the cat instantly disappeared.

"Mikey?" called Don, sensing his little brother's distress.

Mikey didn't answer, deep in thought. _Why didn't it want to be saved? I thought it was giving me a second chance, but—_Mikey turned to the black cat in Don's arms—_we saved this cat instead. It's almost as if…it's almost like—_

Mikey froze in Raph's arms as he came to a startling realization. _That has to be it. All this time...I was wrong. _

"Mikey, are you okay?" Don asked, feeling a twinge of panic. He looked to Raph nervously.

To his brothers' dismay, Mikey started to cry. "Yeah, everything…is okay," he choked out. "Everything is fine."

But Don didn't feel so sure. "He may be going into shock," Don whispered in a low voice to Leo and Raph.

"Mikey? Mikey, can you tell us what's wrong?" Leo asked as calmly as he could.

"I'm just…" Mikey sniffled, catching his breath, "…glad you found me." He gazed up at his brothers. "Can we go home now?"

Raph gripped the youngest a little tighter, and gave a rare smile. "Yeah. Just rest now."

The three older turtles watched as Mikey sunk limply against Raph and closed his eyes. In seconds, he was fast asleep.

Leo sighed as he rubbed a hand across his face tiredly. "Sure has been an eventful day hasn't it?"

"The day's just begun Leo," Don responded. "It's probably morning by now."

Raph groaned. "Don't remind me." He shifted Mikey a bit to get a better hold. "Now let's move before my arms fall off."

Don and Leo agreed and they all started to head back the way they came, to the lair.

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><p>The trip back had mostly been a silent one, but as the turtles finally shuffled wearily into Don's lab and placed Mikey onto the bed, Raph couldn't contain his unease any longer.<p>

"Why'd he do it?" Raph muttered crossly, watching Don examine the youngest for more injuries. "Saved a cat, big flippin' deal—he coulda' _died_ if we hadn't been there in time." He glared at the black cat that now was sleeping on a cushion in the corner of the room. It had already been cleaned and bandaged.

Don turned to Raph with a sympathetic look before going back to work. "You know how he is, Raph."

"Yeah. An' I still don' understand what goes through his mind," Raph snorted. He glanced at Leo for a second, who had his back to Raph and was holding Mikey's hand. Raph wondered what face the oldest was wearing at the moment.

Leo's grim frown was tight with worry. He too couldn't grasp why his little brother would keep quiet for so long over a cat. "He should've been able to trust us," he said in a soft voice. Neither Don nor Raph could argue with that; silence lingered over the siblings for a full minute.

Don finished tending to Mikey and with the help of Leo, laid a thick blanket on him. Don sighed and stepped back from the bed, turning to Leo and Raph. "Well, he's really bruised the shell out of his ribs, but I think it's safe to say that he managed to not break any more."

His analysis didn't lift the tension from the room, but it at least assured the older turtles that their little brother would eventually make a full recovery.

Raph yawned loudly and stretched. "Why don't you go to sleep?" Don said in response. "I'll keep watch on—"

"—I don' need it," Raph interrupted. "I'll stay 'till he wakes up."

Leo nodded. "I'll stay too."

"Fine. I'll go get some blankets then." Don hurried out of the lab.

After watching Don leave, Raph moved his eyes to the sleeping cat, then to Leo. "Do ya think Mikey'll eva' pull somethin' like this again?" he asked seriously.

For a moment, Leo looked lost on what to say. He turned his back to Raph once more to hold Mikey's hand. "Mikey is a fast learner. I think he'll know the right thing to do next time."

Don entered the lab before Raph could reply. He handed a blanket to each of his brothers before he settled himself in the lab chair at his computer. Raph and Leo sat down onto the fold-up chairs beside Mikey's bed.

"I guess we'll hear the whole story when Mikey wakes," said Don after another sigh.

"One thing's for sure," Raph grumbled. "We are not keepin' another cat."

"Was Klunk too much for you to handle?" Leo chuckled a bit.

"Shut up."


	14. The True Story

**I noticed I'm progressively getting less and less reviews for each chapter. I hope this doesn't mean the story is starting to lack in quality or something. If there's something you want me to write about, don't hesitate to tell me! Anyway, I am proud to announce that the back story has arrived! Thank you all for sticking around this long, to find out what the heck Mikey was thinking. But it's not over yet, there's still one more chapter left, one more mystery to uncover. Until then, read, review, and enjoy :)**

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><p>It wasn't until late afternoon that Mikey woke up. He was a little disoriented, but at least his head felt much clearer than before, and the pain in his ribs had been reduced to a dull ache. At the moment, he was too comfortable to move from where he rested and continued to stare at the high celling of Don's lab with half-lidded eyes. <em>I wonder…what happened to the black cat. I hope it's okay. Well, knowing Donnie, I'm sure it is.<em>

When Mikey tried to move into a sitting position, he instantly felt something holding him down. _Have my bros tied me to the bed or something? Though I wouldn't put it past them…I ran from them like twice already. _Craning his neck forward, Mikey discovered Leo and Raph next to him on either side of the bed. They were both asleep, their bodies hunched over the bed.

_Oh, so they must be weighing me down. _Mikey smiled silently. _And if they're here, then Don should be—_Mikey rolled his head to the side and caught his purple-banded brother across the room in a large chair, slumped over his desk.

Mikey wanted to stay as he was, safe and sound in the presence of his sleeping siblings; but he knew he couldn't sit still for long, thinking about the cat. Decision made, Mikey lifted his arm—the one not pinned down by Leo—and weakly shook Raph's shoulder.

Raph's reaction was instant. In seconds his eyes shot open to see his little brother awake and _smiling_. He stood straight up, knocking his chair over with a loud _clang_ _clang clang _that immediately woke Leo and Don as well. Mikey couldn't have asked for a better wake up call.

"Easy Raphie, you could have woken up half 'a New York for all we know," Mikey said with his trademark smile. He glanced at the digital clock on Don's desk. "Unless it's the afternoon of course…"

"It was yer fault, ya nutball!" Raph exclaimed childishly, trying to mask the smile that had automatically lit up his face. He settled for a slightly annoyed look. "An' don't call me that."

Mikey made another attempt to get up now that Leo and Raph were off of the bed, but Don walked swiftly to put a gentle hand on his chest, signaling for the youngest to stop. "I don't think you're going anywhere, mister," Don said sternly, pulling back the covers to examine Mikey. "Well, the swelling has gone down a bit…" he trailed off, silently going over his mental checklist.

Raph peered over Don's shoulder. "So how long is Mikey…outta commission?"

Don sighed. "Well, I can't say for sure, but the healing process can be anything from one to two months. There isn't much treatment for broken ribs."

Mikey's eyes widened. "Two months?" he squeaked. He coughed a couple times from the use of such a high voice. _That sounds waaaay too long to be stuck like this!_

"But that doesn't mean you won't be able to do normal things," Don added quickly. "Moving a lot or deep breaths will hurt a bit, but if you leave it alone, you'll be back to morning practice in no time."

Mikey breathed out in relief. _Who knew I'd be so grateful for being able to train. _"So, I can get up now—"

"—Today, you should rest." Don interrupted, holding a pleading stare with Mikey.

The youngest pouted. "Fine," he grumbled. He closed his eyes for a second before snapping them open. "Oh I almost forgot! How's the cat doing? Is it okay?" Mikey looked around the lab as best he could from where he lay.

Don smiled at Mikey in reassurance. "It's fine. I cleaned and bandaged up its injury, which isn't too serious if we clean it regularly, of course. It's in the corner—" Don paused as he looked at en empty cushion and litter box.

"Where did the cat go?" Leo said, turning to the only exit to the room, the lab door. It was open with just enough space for a cat to get through.

Raph huffed. "Man, that cat could be anywhere in the lair!" His face was pulled into a frown, but when he looked to Mikey it turned into a teasing smile. "It's always the things that you bring home that get us inta some kind 'a trouble, ya know that?"

Mikey shrugged, flashing an innocent smile back at Raph. "I prefer to think of it as a talent."

Suddenly, the four turltles heard a shout from beyond the lab door. "Boooooys!"

Leo, Don, Raph and Mikey all looked at each other in surprise. "Master Spinter!" they shouted in unison.

Before the turtles could make a move, Splinter entered the lab furiously, his face twisted into a displeased frown. "Would anyone care to explain what this cat is doing in our home?"

Leo, Raph, and Don looked away sheepishly while Mikey laughed openly. The black cat in question was attached to the Sensei's long tail, its sharp claws pawing at sensitive skin.

Mikey kept on laughing heartily, clutching his aching side. At this point, he didn't care how much it hurt. "Ah ha ha—ow, ow, OUCH! Ha ha—ow—"

Raph clapped a hand over Mikey's mouth, trying to muffle his little brother's laughter, and Mikey sent an annoyed glare at his brother. Jutting out his thumb, Raph motioned to Splinter who wore a very intimidating scowl. Mikey gulped.

Splinter cleared his throat. "Michelangelo, would you care to explain how this cat got into the lair?"

Mikey bit his cheek out of nervousness. _Should I tell them everything? I mean, I know that they deserve to know…but am I really gonna do this now?_ "Um…I-I found it?" Mikey's voice rose uncertainly, and gave a pleading look to his brothers.

A few seconds of silence went by before Leo sighed, defeated. "It's, uh, a long story Sensei—"

Raph snorted impatiently, interrupting Leo. "—Yeah, an' long story short, Mikey found a hurt cat an' we helped bring it home."

"And then we sort of…lost track of it," Don finished with an apologetic smile.

At first, Splinter looked skeptical, but his expression changed when he understood what his sons were trying to do. He heaved a loud sigh. "Very well, I will let the cat stay and heal its injuries."

Mikey's face brightened instantly. "Sensei!"

Splinter held up a hand. "But you must return it to the outside when it is well again."

Mikey nodded vigorously. "I'll ask April if she knows anyone who wants a pet cat."

"That would be a good start," Splinter answered with a warm smile. He turned to Don. "Now, if I may have your assistance…?" He pointed to his tail.

"Of course, Master Splinter." Don tried to coax the cat off of Splinter's tail, calling to it gently. "Come here, kitty, kitty…"

Eventually the cat let go and allowed Don to lift it up and place it back on the cushion in the corner. Splinter gave a light tap on Leo's shoulder, a gesture that meant Leo would talk with him later in his room, and quietly retreated out of the lab.

As soon as he Raph saw the door was closed, he spun around to gaze at Mikey expectantly. "So…"

Mikey lowered his eyes as he smiled sadly. "I know, I know. You guys want the true story." He took a deep breath as his three brothers crowded around his bed and sat down. _It definitely hurts a bit, but it's all I can do to calm my nerves. _

"Make sure ya finish the story this time," Raph said with a smirk, trying to ease the tension.

Mikey gave an appreciative smile back. "I said before that I was walking through the sewers, taking the long way back from the comic store, and that I heard this…sound." He paused as his brothers nodded accordingly. "It was faint, but I could still barely hear it getting louder as I walked through the sewer. It was near the Laird Street sewer entrance that I finally could make out what it was—a cat's cry. And suddenly, this gray cat appeared in front of me. I was like, 'Dude, what's a cat doing in the sewers?' And I guess I thought it accidentally got trapped under here or something. I tried to edge closer and grab it, but it kept getting away, despite my unparalleled ninja skills." Mikey chuckled a little at the memory. "I finally had it cornered in that huge drainage pool room, on that broken platform. But the cat, it…it just wouldn't stop. It kept going, I knew it would jump…"

Trying to calm himself down again, Mikey took another big breath and let it out, wincing. He felt someone put a comforting hand on his shell. _Don._

"Sure enough, it leapt off the platform, as if it didn't even see the huge drop below, or that the end of the other platform was too far away. I dove after it and managed to get a hold of its hind leg, dangling from one hand on the other platform. And-and then, I kinda…freaked out. Maybe it was how close I was to falling, or I was just out of breath, and all this adra-something pumping through me—"

"—Adrenaline," Leo corrected softly.

"—yeah, that. And it was too hard to pull myself up with the gray cat in one hand, so all I could do was hang there. Then when my hand started slipping, I really got..." Mikey bit his cheek again. "I was really scared." _And I'm still scared now._

Don felt Mikey starting to shake, and rubbed his brother's shell tenderly. "It's okay, Mike," Don encouraged. "Go on."

"I was…panicking, and then the cat started struggling, so I tried to lift the cat up to the platform above me. But it just wouldn't give up. The more it struggled, the more scared I got, and when it bit me—" Mikey cut off, his voice cracking. "It bit me and—" his voice caught again. "I let go," Mikey whispered.

"Ya…what?" Raph said, thinking he didn't hear right.

"I let go!" Mikey cried, squeezing his eyes shut at the spike of pain it caused. "A-and when I came to, I was laying on one of the lower pipes. I knew I fell pretty far, 'cause as soon as I started to move, my side really hurt. All I could see was a little blood though; I made myself believe it was nothing bad. As soon as I remembered what I was doing down there…I searched everywhere." Mikey shifted uncomfortably. His side was still throbbing from his earlier outburst. "The cat was gone. I thought it died," Mikey almost sobbed. "I thought I killed it."

Leo reached to wipe away the stray tear that had trailed down the youngest's face. "But you didn't—"

"—It doesn't matter what happened later!" Mikey shouted before his brother could say any more. His ribs instantly acted up again, and Mikey curled in on his side with a pained grunt. The three older turtles stood up to help their brother, but stilled when Mikey relaxed against the bed.

"I'm okay, sit down, I'm fine," Mikey pleaded quietly. Leo, Raph, and Don reluctantly followed Mikey's request. "It was because of me that made it fall in the first place. It could have survived on its own." Mikey looked at brothers miserably. "Leo would've had everything under control, no distractions. And Don, you might've figured out some awesome plan by then. Or Raph, you…you wouldn't be so afraid. But I'm Mikey, and I messed up."

The youngest dropped his head to keep his tears hidden. "I should've—I wanted…" _I wanted to tell you. "_I was scared." _I'm always scared of things._ Mikey tried to say more, but couldn't without crying. So he stayed silent.

Finally, after Mikey calmed down a bit, Leo spoke up again. "Mikey, don't beat yourself up over this. Who knows if we would have been able to save that cat if we were there; maybe we'd still be in the same situation as you."

"And we make mistakes too," Don continued, brushing off the last of Mikey's tears from his face. Mikey sniffled in response.

"But ya damn well should'a told us about this, Mikey," Raph said gruffly. Mikey flinched, and Raph's hard expression softened. "We're bros, right? We all gotta trust each otha'."

Don nodded. "For better or worse."

Leo placed a firm hand on Mikey's shoulder and looked the youngest straight in the eye. "Dragging yourself down in guilt will not get you anywhere; neither will ignoring your injuries. I would know, I've been there." Mikey lowered his head in shame, but Leo lifted his chin back up gently. "Please, promise us you'll _never_ do this again."

Mikey glanced at each brother before mumbling quietly, "Yeah…I promise."

"Then that's a lesson well learned," Don said as he began rubbing Mikey's shell again. "I think we should _all _learn from this experience."

"And we should be thankful that everyone is safe," Leo responded. "Including our new feline friend," he added with a smile.

"About that…" Raph started. "Ya kept takin' about a gray cat, but I think ya need ta get yer eyes checked, 'cause the cat we got is—"

"—black, I know," Mikey answered with a sigh. "That calls for another story…"


	15. The Happy Ending

**The last chapter. Sad, I know. At this point, I want to thank all of you reviewers and everyone who read this story. So thank you! I am happy to finally finish this story and reveal the truth. I never expected it to run so long, and it was really the support I got from all the reviews that made me write as much as I did. I hope you all enjoyed my story. Thank you again.**

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><p>Mikey closed his eyes for a moment, scrunching up his face in deep thought. <em>Explaining this might be a bit hard. Even I can barely believe it. <em>

Don gazed worriedly at his brother. "Mikey, if this is too hard for you…" he trailed off.

Mikey shook his head, opening his eyes. "No, no. It's not that." He fiddled with his blanket sheepishly. "Just don't…just don't laugh, okay?"

"Of course we won't," Leo asserted firmly. "We know you're serious. We'll listen."

The youngest made a small noncommittal noise. He turned his line-of-sight to the cat sleeping in the corner. "First of all, I should probably mention that I never met the gray cat before any of you did."

There were a few seconds of silence until—"WHAT? WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING?"

Mikey jumped a little at the sudden loudness, making his side spasm in pain. He glared at his red-banded brother crossly, silently accusing him. Raph gave an apologetic look in return.

Don cleared his throat. "Mikey, if what you're saying is true, then that would mean we're dealing with two cats here."

With an earnest nod, Mikey said, "That's right. The cat I tried to save that time was gray. I'm sure of it." He paused, remembering the past night. "It was the same one that you guys saw on the monitor, the one that I chased after again. That cat was waiting for me all along."

Raph scratched his head awkwardly. "How many cats are in this sewer anyway…" he mumbled to himself.

Leo sent a silencing stare at Raph before turning back to the youngest. "Mikey, what do you mean it was waiting?"

"I…" Mikey hesitated.

Don spoke up softly. "We won't laugh."

Mikey timidly glanced at his three brothers, taking in their sincere expressions. He started again. "I…I don't think I met that gray cat in the sewers by accident. It…called to me. And it led me—twice—to the same place." Mikey lowered his eyes to his injured side. "It guided me there on purpose, so that I would save the black cat."

With a troubled sigh, Raph began, "Mikey, ya can't be—"

"—Serious, yeah." Mikey flashed an indignant frown at his brother.

Raph grumbled in response. "Ya think run-a'-the-mill street cat had the brains ta do that?"

"It was protecting its friend!" Mikey cried. "Whether it was completely aware of it or not doesn't matter."

Don put a hand on Raph's shoulder to get his attention. "We're very familiar with the instinct to protect loved ones as well, aren't we?"

"Tch." Raph rolled his shoulder forward to free himself from his Don's hand. "That's different, Donnie." He turned his face to the side so his brothers wouldn't catch the faint blush on his cheeks.

Leo gave a lighthearted chuckle and shared a small smile with Mikey. "I think he knows it quite well."

"No one asked you!" Raph shouted across the bed.

Mikey's smile melted into a more somber expression. "But actually, I wouldn't have figured it out if I hadn't seen the gray cat again."

"Again?" Don echoed.

"Uh huh." Mikey nodded. "Right before we left the drainage pool room, I saw it sitting in that cut-off pipe again. It was watching me, but as soon as I tried to say something, it was gone."

Leo frowned. "We didn't even see it…"

"It was then that I knew it didn't _want_ to be saved," Mikey continued. "It was the other cat that need saving." _And ultimately I needed saving too…_

Don nudged Raph with his elbow, making Raph growl lowly in irritation. "Alright, I believe ya, Mike."

Don smiled proudly at his achievement. "Yes, as amazing as it sounds, we all believe you."

"Heh, that's a relief," Mikey said. He shifted underneath the covers, feeling a little restless. He let a few coughs slip out and winced. "By the way, is there any way to stop these coughs? Like some kind 'a medicine?"

Don shook his head in regret. "I'm sorry Mikey, but your lungs are irritated by your injury; cough medicine can't cure that."

"Oh…" Mikey replied sullenly. A whine rose in his throat.

"You should understand, though, that coughing is important," Don said with a sympathetic smile. "It actually can prevent you from getting lung complications—including pneumonia. You'll have to bear with the pain for a little while."

Mikey pouted at his brother. "You brainy turtle, you…"

Don chuckled lightheartedly and turned to Leo. "Can you get me some cold compresses from the bathroom?"

Leo stood up from his chair in response. "Sure. Anything else you need?"

"An order of extra cheesy pizza, and hold the anchovies!" Mikey called out happily. _And a side order of relaxation. We need to lighten up already._

"Is that all ya can think about?" Raph teased. Mikey stuck his tongue out.

"Mikey, we have plenty of food in the kitchen," Leo answered.

The youngest pulled a face. "Please don't tell me you're gonna try to cook again."

Raph suddenly shot up from his chair. "Takeout it is."

"Wh…" Leo's voice caught. "Just because the eggs didn't come out right…"

"They exploded, Leo," Mikey deadpanned.

Leo grunted at the memory. "But—"

"—Exploded." Mikey repeated.

"Fine," Leo grumbled. He followed Raph out of the lab hurriedly.

With a sigh, Mikey turned to Don. "I really should teach you guys how to cook."

"It's not like we're totally clueless," Don argued. "We can make toast, sandwiches…salad."

Mikey smirked. "Exactly my point. Who wants to eat salads?"

Don rubbed his brother's head affectionately. "They're good for you, silly."

"Whatever you say, Donnie." Mikey yawned stiffly. _My body feels so heavy…_

"You're tired," Don said gently. "Why don't you rest?"

Mikey yawned again. He saw Leo enter the lab silently, but couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. "Hey, Donnie?"

"Don't worry, I'll wake you up when dinner's ready."

"Oh, okay." Mikey breathed out quietly. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry, and thanks."

Mikey heard a soft chuckle from Don. "You're welcome." There was a hushed conversation between Leo and Don, but Mikey couldn't make it out.

_I guess everything ended up okay. My brothers aren't mad at me anymore, the cat is gonna be okay, and I even get to have pizza for dinner…But there's just one more thing to get off my chest._ "Wanna help me convince Sensei to keep the cat?"

It was Leo this time that answered. "Sleep tight, Michelangelo."

_It was worth a shot._


End file.
